Bum!  life  ^ttrtiep 


*« 


^otttljeastern  ©t)to 


t> 


DIRECTED  BY 

The  Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life 

BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
'  IN  THE  U  S.  A. 

Warren  H,  Wilson,  Director 
lalph  A.  Fehon,  FieU  Director 

'.<  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


^^^^-^ 

Umm 

^^^^^ 

BR 

555 

.03 

P8 

Presbyterian  ' 

U.S.A.  Board 

Ohio  rural  li 

Church  in 

of  Home 
fe  survey 

the 

President  W.  O.  Thompson 

Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio 

Chairman 

Warren  H.  Wilson,  Director 
Ralph  A.  Felton,  Field  Director 

Contributors 
Stanley  C.  Morris 
Frederick  C.  Landsittel 
Clarence  A.  Neff 
Daniel  S.  McCorkle 

Arthur  O.  Stockbridge,  Historian 

PRESBYTERIAN   DEPARTMENT  OF  CHURCH   AND 
COUNTRY  LIFE 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter  I. — Introduction:  page 

1.  Origin  of  the  Survey  and  Agencies  Concerned 5 

2.  Purpose  of  the  Investigation 5 

3.  Method  of  the  Study 6 

Chapter  II. — The  Region  Surveyed: 

1 .  Area  and  Omitted  Communities 7 

2.  Physical  Features   7 

Chapter  III. — Economic  Conditions : 

1.  Natural  Resources,  Importance  of  Agriculture 8 

2.  Soil   Depletion    8 

3.  Soil   Conservation,   and  the  Agricultural   Future   of   the 

District 9 

4.  Soil  Monopoly  10 

5.  Tenantry 11 

6.  Marketing 12 

7.  The  Farmers'  Income 13 

8.  Summary 15 

Chapter  IV. — Social  Conditions  : 

1.  The  Depletion  of  the  Rural  Population 16 

2.  Means  of  Communication 16 

3.  Community  Leadership    18 

4.  Community  Meetings,  Informal  and  Formal 20 

5.  Recreation  and  Morals 22 

Chapter  V. — Rural  Schools : 

1.  Reason  for  the  Study 24 

2.  Scope  of  the  Study 24 

3.  Material  Equipment 24 

4.  Enrollment  and  Attendance 27 

5.  School  Session   28 

6.  The  Teaching  Force 29 

7.  What  One  Teacher  Has  Done 30 

8.  The  School  as  a  Community  Center 32 

9.  Summary,  Need  for  Supervision 32 

Chapter  VI. — Religious  Conditions  and  Activities: 

1.  Number  and  Distribution  of  Church  Organizations 34 

2.  Church  Membership  and  Population 34 

3.  Status  of  the  Churches 35 

4.  Causes  of  Rural  Church  Decline 36 

5.  Sectarianism 42 

6.  Material  Equipment  of  the  Churches 46 

7.  Classification  of  the  Church  Membership 46 

8.  Sunday  Schools  47 

9.  The  Church  and  Social  Life 50 

10.     The  Minister 53 

Chapter  VII. — Conclusion  and  Recommendations 59 

3     - 


MAP  OF  OHIO.     THE  COUNTIES  SURVEYED  ARE  INDICATED  BY  A  STAR 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTION. 

1.  Origin  of  the  Survey,  and  Agencies  Concerned. 

To  make  rural  life  in  Ohio  more  satisfying  is  a  task  that  calls  for 
the  earnest  endeavor  of  everyone  of  her  patriotic  citizens.  The  Ohio 
Rural  Life  Survey  aims  to  present  an  unbiased  picture  of  this  task. 
Instigated  by  leaders  in  the  work  of  developing  the  rural  sections  of 
the  State,  the  Survey  has  been  carried  to  completion  under  the  direc- 
torship of  Warren  H.  Wilson,  Ph.D.,  Superintendent  of  the  Presby- 
terian Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  and  under  the  un- 
prejudiced supervision  of  an  Advisory  Council  representing  twelve 
religious  denominations  and  eighteen  educational  institutions,  all  at 
work  within  the  State.  A  total  of  twenty-eight  counties  scattered  all 
over  the  State  were  covered  by  the  operations  of  the  investigators, 
most  of  their  work  being  done  during  the  summers  of  1912  and  1913. 
This  pamphlet  deals  with  the  rural  situation  in  six  of  these  counties 
— Washington,  Morgan,  Athens,  Vinton,  Lawrence  and  Adams — all 
of  which  disclose  conditions  that  are  fairly  representative  of  those 
prevailing  throughout  Southeastern  Ohio.  Other  pamphlets  have 
been  published  which  deal  with  the  rural  situation  in  other  sections  of 
the  State. 

2.  Purpose  of  the  Investigation. 

The  problem  of  rural  development  is  a  many-sided  one,  having  its 
economic,  social,  moral  and  educational  phases.  But,  at  bottom,  the 
problem  is  a  religious  one.  As  religion  is  a  force  to  stimulate  every 
phase  of  life  to  its  highest  activity,  so  the  country  church,  as  the  in- 
stitutional embodiment  of  religion  in  the  rural  community,  should 
give  the  impetus  for  every  movement  of  rural  advance.  Are  the 
churches  in  the  villages  and  open  country  of  Southeastern  Ohio  doing 
this  effectively?  This  pamphlet  seeks  to  give  an  answer.  We  will 
deal  with  such  topics  as  the  farmer's  income,  his  recreation,  his  home, 
his  school,  and  his  church.  A  correct  and  careful  treatment  of  all  of 
these  subjects  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  carrying  out  of  our 
dominant  purpose,  which  is,  to  give  the  rural  churches  of  South- 
eastern Ohio  a  vision  of  their  task,  and  to  help  them  in  the  doing  of  it. 

5 


3.     Methods  of  the  Study. 

Before  \vc  proceed,  just  a  word  as  to  the  method  followed  in  the 
field  investigations.  The  township  was  made  the  unit  of  study,  and 
was  called  a  "community."  An  investigator  would  spend  about  a 
week  in  each  township  or  community,  asking  specified  questions  of 
the  leaders  of  its  religious,  educational,  social  and  political  institutions, 
and  making  house  to  house  visits  in  certain  sections.  The  written 
record  of  these  interviews  were  made  on  uniform  blanks,  and,  to- 
gether with  the  investigator's  personal  o])servations;  formed  the  basis 
for  his  report  upon  the  conditions  existing  in  the  community.  For 
the  intensive  study  of  the  farmer's  income,  questions  furnished  by  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  were  used.  The  investi- 
gators were  carefully  selected,  being  either  young  men  of  college 
training  or  adults  of  seasoned  judgment. 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  REGION  SURVEYED. 

1.  Area,  Omitted  Communities. 

Southeastern  Ohio  may  be  described  as  consisting  of  the  two  tiers 
of  counties  bordering  on  the  Ohio  River,  from  Monroe  County  on 
the  northeast  to  Adams  County  on  the  southwest.  Thus  defined,  the 
section  embraces  thirteen  counties  and  has  an  area  of  6,066  square 
miles.  The  six  counties  surveyed  comprise  2,920  square  miles,  or 
nearly  one-half  of  the  total  area  of  the  district.  All  of  the  com- 
munities within  the  six  counties  were  studied  with  the  following  ex- 
ceptions :  Marietta  City  and  four  rural  townships  in  Washington 
County,  McConnellsville  Village  and  one  rural  township  in  Morgan 
County,  the  cities  of  Athens  and  Nelsonville  in  Athens  County,  and 
Ironton  City  in  Lawrence  County.  Of  these  ten  omitted  communities, 
five  are  urban  and  five  rural.  The  passing  over  of  five  rural  town- 
ships, out  of  a  total  number  in  the  six  counties  of  86,  is  too  small  an 
omission  to  afifect  in  any  way  the  validity  of  our  general  conclusion. 

2.  Physical   Features. 

As  Southeastern  Ohio  lies  within  the  foot-hills  of  the  Appalachian 
Mountain  System,  its  topography  is  predominantly  hilly.  Its  navigable 
streams  are  only  three  in  number,  the  Ohio,  Muskingum  and  Scioto 
Rivers.  The  region,  however,  is  well  watered  by  numerous  small 
rivers  and  creeks.  The  climate  is  temperate,  there  being  no  great 
extremes  of  heat  or  cold.  The  rainfall  is  heavy,  thus,  on  the  one 
hand,  afifording  an  abundance  of  springs  and  good  drinking  water; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  swelling  the  floods  that  as  often  as  twice 
during  a  decade  work  considerable  damage  in  the  lowlands. 


CHAPTER  III. 
ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS. 

1.  Natural  Resources,  Importance  of  Agriculture. 

Most  of  the  hills  of  Southeastern  Ohio  are  underlaid  with  coal. 
Of  the  six  counties  covered  by  this  report,  Athens,  Vinton  and  Law- 
rence possess  deposits  of  this  mineral  in  great  abundance,  Washing- 
ton and  Morgan  have  a  smaller  supply,  although  in  these  counties 
the  shortage  in  this  respect  is  perhaps  balanced  by  the  presence  of  an 
oil  and  natural  gas  territory.  Adams  County  is  outside  the  coal 
region.  All  of  the  eastern  counties  have  an  abundance  of  clay  suit- 
able for  brick  and  tile.  Water-power  is  an  available  resource,  al- 
though at  present  it  is  largely  neglected. 

Agriculture  is  to-day  the  most  important  industry  of  the  district. 
Limestone,  freestone  and  clays  give  a  soil  of  wide  diversity,  suited  to 
many  products.  That  farming  will  continue  to  be  the  chief  occupa- 
tion of  the  people  is  true  for  those  living  in  Adams,  Morgan  and 
Washington  counties ;  but  probably  untrue  for  those  dwelling  in 
Athens,  Vinton  and  Lawrence  counties,  where  in  the  coming  years 
agriculture  is  likely  to  be  overshadowed  by  coal  mining. 

2.  Soil  Depletion. 

A  marked  characteristic  of  Southeastern  Ohio  is  the  decrease  dur- 
ing the  last  decade  in  the  acreage  of  improved  farm  lands.  In  Wash- 
ington, Morgan,  Athens,  Vinton  and  Lawrence  counties,  according  to 
the  returns  of  the  United  States  Census,  the  amount  of  improved 
farm  lands  diminished  7.6^  during  the  period  from  1900  to  1910,  a 
loss  for  the  five  counties  of  one  acre  in  every  thirteen  of  their  im- 
proved lands,  or  an  area  of  improved  land  equal  to  more  than  one- 
third  that  of  a  single  county.  Adams  County  was  the  only  one  of  the 
six  counties  surveyed  that  during  the  same  period  increased  its  area 
of  improved  farm  lands.     The  increase  there  was  3.1%. 

The  gradual  withdrawal  of  arable  land  from  profitable  use,  and 
the  consequent  increase  in  the  acreage  of  abandoned  farm  lands,  has 
for  its  cause  the  depletion  of  the  soil.  The  hilly  nature  of  the  country 
gives  the  opportunity  for  the  washing  away  of  the  soil,  especially  in 
those  places  where  the  surface  loam  is  kept  pulverized  by  constant 
cultivation.     The  farms,  then,  of  Southeastern  Ohio  are  becoming  less 

8 


Decrease  in  Improv/cd  Farm  Lands 


1,01130^    acres  m  iqoo 


935,033    acres  in  19 10 


Five   counties   ir\ 


Southeastern   Oh*o 


Ohio1?ura\  L*fe  borye^ 


fertile.  This  process  must  be  stopped,  for  if  allowed  to  continue,  it 
spells  the  agricultural  ruin  of  the  district,  and  that  means  the  ruin  of 
the  farmer's  home,  of  his  school,  and  of  his  church.  Whoever  does 
not  see  the  religious  significance  of  entering  upon  a  crusade  for  soil 
conservation  in  Southeastern  Ohio  needs  to  be  spiritually  awakened. 

3.     Soil    Conservation,    and    the    Agricultural    Future    of    the 
District. 

How  can  the  soil  be  conserved?  It  is  for  the  country  churches  of 
Southeastern  Ohio  to  inspire  their  members  to  seek  an  answer  to  this 
question.  We  can  offer  but  a  few  untechnical  suggestions.  The  hill- 
sides must  be  saved  from  constant  cultivation,  and  converted  into  pas- 
tures or  fruit-growing  tracts.  But  a  serious  difficulty  immediately 
presents  itself.  The  income  from  mere  pasture-land  is  not  sufficient 
at  present  to  support  the  farmer's  family.  Some  way  to  make  the 
farms  yield  a  livelihood  without  resorting  to  cultivated  crops  must  be 
found,  and  such  a  way  will  be  found,  for  the  situation  is  far  from 
hopeless.  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  for  encouragement  as  we 
look  toward  the  future? 

First.  The  farmers  themselves  see  clearly  that  continued  cultivation 
will  end  in  the  ruin  of  their  farms.  The  farmer  who  makes  no  effort 
to  reduce  the  wasting  of  the  soil  is  an  exception.  Rotation  of  crops 
is  practiced  almost  universally  throughout  the  district.  So  also  is  the 
use  of  both  stable  manures  and  commercial  fertilizers.  But  this  care 
only  delays  the  ruin,  it  will  never  prevent  it. 


Second.  Both  soil  and  climate  are  adapted  to  animal  husbandry, 
upon  which  the  agricultural  future  of  the  six  counties  unquestionably 
rests.  Most  of  the  farms  of  the  district  must  sooner  or  later  be  con- 
verted into  pasture  land.  Prime  beef  cattle,  fattened  without  grain  on 
Morgan  County  pastures,  bring  top  market  prices.  Horses  and  hogs, 
however,  can  never  be  raised  on  any  large  scale,  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  grain. 

Third.  Milk  and  other  dairy  products  are  sure  to  be  great  resources 
of  the  near  future.  As  a  profitable  industry  for  the  farmers  of  South- 
eastern Ohio,  dairying  only  waits  upon  the  building  of  good  roads 
and  trolleys,  and  the  consequent  opening  up  of  markets.  When  de- 
veloped, the  industry  will  make  the  pastures  yield  a  sufficient  income, 
and  thus  the  present  necessity  of  resorting  to  cultivated  crops  will  be 
removed. 

Fourth.  The  district  is  very  successful  in  the  production  of  poultry 
and  eggs.  The  United  States  Census  returns  for  the  six  counties 
show  that  in  the  year  1909  poultry  and  eggs  yielded  a  cash  income  of 
more  than  a  million  dollars.  This  acquires  significance  only  when  we 
compare  it  with  the  fact  that  in  the  same  year  the  sales  of  all  other 
animals  and  of  dairy  products  brought  a  little  less  than  three  million 
dollars  on  an  investment  which  was  fifteen  times  greater  than  that 
represented  in  the  poultry  industry. 

Fifth.  With  intelligent  care  and  available  markets,  fruit  growing 
will  become  an  important  resource.  The  recent  decadence  of  the  in- 
dustry in  Lawrence  County  was  due,  not  to  any  non-adaptation  in  soil 
or  climate,  but  rather  to  the  inaccessibility  of  markets.  Fruit  growl- 
ing, like  dairying,  awaits  the  construction  of  better  means  of  trans- 
portation for  its  development. 

We  have  given  these  five  reasons  to  justify  our  confidence  that  the 
farmers  of  Southeastern  Ohio  will  find  ways  to  make  their  farms 
yield  a  sufficient  income  without  depleting  the  soil  by  the  constant 
cultivation  of  the  hillsides.  Altogether,  the  picture  is  one  for  the 
optimist.  Our  hope  is  that  the  country  churches  of  Southeastern 
Ohio  will  see  the  religious  significance  of  the  farmer's  struggle  for 
an  adequate  income,  and  help  him  in  his  life-battle. 

4.     Soil  Monopoly. 

In  the  six  counties  included  in  the  purview  of  this  report,  half  the 
land  is  in  the  hands  of  one-eighth  of  the  farmers.  This  means  that 
farms  of  medium  size  are  comparatively  few  in  number.  Such  a  con- 
dition  is   startling,    and   afifords   a    sure   index   to   the   decay   of   the 

10 


LAND  MONOPOLY 


oi  tke  Farmeri  Onn 


5ix    Counties  m 
,5outke4.5teTn  Unio 


Ok.oT^ural  Liie5 


urve- 


country  churches,  the  decline  of  country  schools,  and  the  wide  loss  of 
community  spirit.  Men  with  farms  of  medium  size,  say  from  100 
to  150  acres,  are  the  chief  dependence  for  the  support  of  churches  and 
schools.  When  such  men  are  scarce  in  any  locality,  the  churches  and 
the  schools  languish.  And  they  are  scarce  in  Southeastern  Ohio.  Of 
the  17,963  farms  in  the  six  counties  surveyed,  more  than  one-third 
contain  less  than  fifty  acres,  and  as  many  as  two-thirds  are  under  one 
hundred  acres.  It  can  be  asserted  with  confidence  that  within  the 
six  counties  one  farmer  in  every  four  has  a  farm  too  small  to  feed 
and  clothe  his  family  decently,  and,  of  course,  has  nothing  for  the 
church. 

This  condition  is  not  helped  by  the  purchase  of  extensive  tracts  of 
land  by  outside  interests  for  purposes  of  speculation.  In  Athens, 
Vinton,  and  Lawrence  counties  the  complaint  against  this  practice  is 
loud.  Nearly  40,000  acres  of  Vinton  County  land  is  held  in  this  way. 
With  two  or  three  notable  exceptions,  such  purchasers  have  mani- 
fested no  interest  in  agriculture,  or  in  the  development  of  the  com- 
munities. By  their  holding  of  the  land  for  a  rise  in  price,  they  dis- 
courage its  purchase  by  local  buyers.  On  the  one  hand,  they  make  it 
very  hard  for  the  farmhand  or  the  farmer's  boy  to  become  the  owner 
of  a  farm ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  make  it  comparatively  easy 
for  him  to  become  the  renter  of  a  farm. 


5.     Tenantry. 

Tenantry,   however,   is   not  an   alarming   feature   of   the   economic 
situation  in  Southeastern  Ohio.     Four-fifths  (78.5%)  of  the  farms  of 

11 


the  six  counties  are  operated  by  their  owners,  thus  leaving  one  farm 
in  every  five  (20.7%)  worked  by  a  tenant.  An  insignificant  number 
(0.8%)  are  cared  for  by  hired  managers.  But  here,  as  elsewhere, 
tenantry  stands  in  most  cases  for  a  process  of  soil  impoverishment  and 
human  deterioration.  Most  of  the  tenants  are  forced  to  occupy  the 
poorest  homes  and  to  make  use  of  the  most  decayed  farm  buildings. 
In  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  landlords  for  rentals,  the  tenants 
must  turn  everything  marketable  into  immediate  cash.  Very  little 
is  given  back  to  the  soil  for  the  replenishment  of  its  exhausted 
strength.  A  concrete  example  will  depict  the  result  very  vividly. 
Of  two  adjoining  farms  in  Waterloo  Township,  Athens  County,  one, 
after  having  been  rented  for  seventeen  years,  was  sold  for  $15  per 
acre;  the  other,  after  having  been  operated  all  these  years  by  its 
owner,  was  sold  at  about  the  same  time  for  $38  per  acre.  The  low- 
priced  farm  had  been  sapped  of  its  fertility  for  the  sake  of  rentals. 
Should  the  country  church  allow  this  form  of  immorality  and  sin  to 
go  on  without  at  least  lifting  its  voice  in  protest? 

With  these  conditions  to  face,  it  is  not  surprising  to  discover  that 
many  tenants  are  leaving.  In  all  the  counties,  with  the  exception  of 
Adams,  the  proportion  of  tenantry  has  declined  appreciably  (3.3%) 
during  the  last  decade.  Those  who  leave  usually  go  to  some  town 
or  city.  The  tenants  who  become  owners,  having  bought  farms  with 
money  made  on  the  land  they  rented,  are  extremely  few  in  number. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  tenantry  in  Southeastern  Ohio,  spe- 
cial mention  should  be  made  of  the  pitiable  condition  existing  among 
those  tenants  who  grow  tobacco.  The  crop,  before  it  is  harvested, 
is  mortgaged,  in  most  cases  for  all  it  is  worth.  If  there  chance  to  be 
any  profits,  the  landlords  and  the  local  storekeepers  pocket  them  all. 
Fortunately,  tobacco  is  a  crop  that  has  been  abandoned  save  in  parts 
of  Lawrence  and  Adams  counties. 

6.     Marketing. 

The  cities  along  the  Ohio  River,  especially  Pittsburgh,  Wheeling 
and  Cincinnati,  aflford  an  excellent  market  for  farm  produce.  The 
margin  taken  by  middlemen  is  slightly  larger  than  in  some  other  dis- 
tricts of  Ohio.  As  a  rule,  the  farmers  keep  themselves  informed  as 
to  the  current  market  prices  of  livestock;  although  in  a  few  isolated 
districts  their  ignorance  causes  them  oftentimes  to  become  the  victim 
of  a  "sharp  deal"  put  through  by  some  local  trader. 

In  the  marketing  of  garden  truck  special  mention  must  be  made  of 
the  Marietta   Truck   Growers'   Association,   a   highly    successful   co- 

12 


operative  organization  among  the  growers  of  garden  truck  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Muskingum  River  near  Marietta.  Formerly,  the  farm- 
ers in  this  section  were  victimized  by  local  buyers  who  made  out  that 
the  markets  were  continually  poor.  Finally,  one  farmer  went  to 
Pittsburgh,  and  watching  the  sales,  telegraphed  the  prices  back  to  his 
neighbors  each  day.  The  outcome  of  the  surprise  created  was  the 
forming  of  the  organization  just  named.  The  Association  has  a  con- 
tract with  a  Pittsburgh  commission  house  for  the  taking  of  all  pro- 
duce on  a  margin  of  12^%.  A  representative  of  the  Association  has 
access  at  all  times  to  the  books  of  the  commission  house,  and  possesses 
the  right  to  trace  any  consignment  to  the  men  who  purchased  it.  All 
goods  are  inspected  carefully  before  shipment  and  refused  unless 
they  come  up  to  the  standard  of  quality  indicated  by  the  stamp  the 
individual  farmer  puts  upon  them. 

Such  an  organization  as  the  one  we  have  just  described  has  a 
profound  religious  significance.  Most  of  the  prosperity  existing 
amoung  the  country  churches  of  Washington  County  is  to  be  found 
in  the  three  townships  covered  by  the  operations  of  this  co-operative 
enterprise.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  success  of  the  rural  church 
is  very  closely  related  to  what  a  farmer  gets  for  his  crops. 


7.     The  Farmers'  Income. 

Are  the  farmers  of  Southeastern  Ohio  making  enough  money  to 
support  adequately  their  churches,  schools  and  community  improve- 
ments ?  In  order  to  afiford  some  basis  for  an  answer  to  this  question, 
a  fanning  community  in  Morgan  County  was  selected,  and  the  yearly 
income  of  forty  of  its  families  studied.  The  study  was  made  for  the 
season  of  1912,  which  was  favorable  for  Morgan  County  crops.  We 
believe  that  this  community  is  typical  of  the  entire  section.  The 
forty  families  were  divided  on  the  basis  of  the  findings  of  the  investi- 
gation into  four  groups  of  ten  families  each,  poor,  medium-poor,  com- 
fortable and  prosperous.  The  following  table  gives  the  average  per 
family  for  each  group : 


CONSTITUTION  AND   BY-LAWS. 
MARIETTA  TRUCK  GROWERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Article  I. 
The  Association  shall  be  known  as  The  Marietta  Truck  Growers'  Association. 

Article  II. 

The  object  of  this  association  shall  be  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  growers 
in  all  possible  ways. 

Article  III. 

The  officers  of  this  association  shall  be  a  President,  two  Vice  Presidents,  a 
Secretary  and  an  assistant  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  an  Executive  Committee 
of  three  members.  The  terms  of  all  officers  shall  be  one  year  and  the  yearly 
meeting  for  the  election  of  the  officers  shall  be  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  Febru- 
ary of  each  year.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President 
and  confirmed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  at  a  called  or  regular  meeting.  The  duties 
of  the  officers  shall  be  such  as  usually  devolve  upon  the  officers  and  executive 
Committee  of  such  associations.  They  shall  act  as  mediators  between  growers 
and  shippers,  and  shall  interpret  the  meaning  of  any  terms  inserted  in  the  speci- 
fications or  rules  for  packing  any  fruits  or  vegetables  or  other  regulations  which 
may  be  adopted.  They  shall  pass  upon  and  allow  all  bills  or  claims  against  the 
association  before  the  same  shall  be  paid,  and  may  authorize  the  expenditure  of 
any  funds  which  may  be  in  the  treasury  for  such  expenses  as  they  may  consider 
necessary.  Amendments  may  be  made  at  any  meeting  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of 
those  present,  due  notice  of  said  meeting  having  been  given  to  all  members. 

Article  IV. 
The  membership  in  this  association  shall  be  limited  to  growers  who  market 
their  produce  through  Marietta.  The  annual  membership  fee  shall  be  One 
($1.00)  Dollar,  payable  at  the  annual  meeting.  All  members  shall  sign  the  copy 
of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  in  the  hands  of  the  Secretary ;  and  agree  to 
abide  by  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  association,  in  regard  to  packages, 
packing,  identification  marks  and  other  rulings.  Failure  to  comply  with  such 
regulations  will  render  members  liable  to  suspension  from  the  association,  by  a 
majority  of  votes  of  the  officers  and  executive  committee  sitting  as  a  body;  and 
such  dismissal  forfeits  all  right  to  use  the  name  or  stamp  of  the  association. 
Any  members  having  been  dismissed  can  be  admitted  again  only  by  a  two-thirds 
vote  at  any  called  or  regular  meeting  of  the  association. 

BY-LAWS 
Packages  shall  be  of  standard  size. 

Tomato  baskets  should  weigh  on  an  average  of  twenty-five  pounds.    Tomatoes 
should  be  graded  in  two  sizes,  designated  as  Fancy  and  Choice.     Fancy  shall  be 
about  2J4  in.  and  up  in  diameter,  smooth,  sound  and  good  form.     Choice  shall 
be  from  IJ/2  up  to  2^  in.  in  diameter,  smooth,  sound  and  good  form.     Fancy 
tomatoes  shall  be  placed  individually  in  close  and  regular  order ;  and  shall  be 
faced  as  smoothly  as  possible ;  not  to  be  thrown  in  and  shaken  down.    All  stems 
shall  be  removed  and  no  tomatoes  shall  be  packed  until  they  begin  to  turn. 
Cucumbers  :     Fancy  should  be  of  good  color,  smooth  and  six  inches  or  above 
in  length. 
Choice  should  have  good  color,  exceed  in  length  three  inches 
and  no  small  round  nubs  shall  be  put  in. 
Cabbage  :     Each  head  solid  without  regard  to  size.     Shall  not  be  broken  or 

crushed. 
June  Pinks,  Chalks  Edrly  Jewell,  and  other  inferior  colored  varieties  shall  be 
packed  separately  from  other  standard  varieties.     Specifications  for  other  kinds 
of  vegetables  or  other  regulations  of  interest  will  be  adopted  from  time  to  time. 

14 


8.     Summary. 

From  our  review  of  the  economic  situation  in  the  rural  sections  of 
Southeastern  Ohio,  it  would  appear  that  the  chief  evils  which  its 
citizens  should  seek  to  correct  are:  Soil  depletion  through  over- 
cultivation;  soil  monopoly,  which  gives  to  a  majority  of  the  farmers 
an  insufficient  acreage  for  the  adequate  support  of  their  families,  and 
which  also  increases  the  wastes  of  tenantry;  poor  transportation 
facilities  which  shut  the  door  to  better  markets;  and  the  absence  of 
sufficient  mutual  trust  to  bring  the  farmers  together  in  co-operative 
associations  for  buying  and  selling.  To  suggest  the  antidotes  for 
these  evils  is  easy;  to  remove  them  is  harder.  But,  the  task  will  be 
lighter  if  the  country  churches  of  the  section  see  it  as  a  religious  task, 
commanded  of  God,  and  hence  sure  of  accomplishment,  if  men  will 
obey. 


THE   HOME   OF   A  PROSPEROUS   FARMER 


15 


CHAPTER  IV. 
SOCIAL  CONDITIONS. 

1.  The  Depletion  of  the  Rural  Population. 

The  number  of  people  in  the  rural  districts  of  Southeastern  Ohio 
is  decreasing.  According  to  the  figures  of  the  United  States  Census, 
the  total  population  in  1910  of  the  six  counties  considered  was  186,655. 
Of  this  number,  more  than  three- fourths  (146,513  or  78.59^)  are 
classified  as  rural,  that  is,  as  living  in  the  open  country  or  in  villages 
of  less  than  2,500  people.  Of  this  rural  population,  fully  five-sixths 
(121,062  or  65.5%  of  the  total  population)  live  on  farms  or  in 
hamlets  of  less  than  200  people.  In  these  same  country  districts  there 
was  in  1900  a  population  of  122,024,  or  70.1%  of  the  total  popula- 
tion of  the  six  counties.  This  comparison  reveals  a  loss  for  the  de- 
cade from  1900  to  1910  of  4.6%,  or  962  persons,  from  these  strictly 
rural  sections.  This  loss  becomes  interesting  when  we  compare  it 
with  the  fact  that  for  the  same  period  the  towns  and  cities  of  more 
than  5,000  people  show  a  total  gain  of  3,912,  or  11.6%.  The  drift 
is  evidently  toward  the  cities.  The  farms  have  not  been  able  to  stand 
the  competition  of  the  factories  and  the  mines  bidding  for  the  wage- 
earning  class.  Soil  impoverishment  and  land  monopoly  have  made 
farming  less  profitable  and  hence  less  attractive  to  the  ambitious.  The 
decrease  in  the  number  of  farmers  will  not  be  checked  until  these 
economic  evils  have  been  corrected. 

2.  Means  of  Communication. 

The  hilly  nature  of  Southeastern  Ohio  has  been  an  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  good  road  construction.  Consequently,  the  mileage  of  im- 
proved roads  in  the  district  surveyed  is  comparatively  small.  The 
Ohio  State  Highway  Department  calls  any  road  improved  that  is  made 
of  brick,  stone  or  gravel.  According  to  this  definition,  thirty-one  per 
cent,  of  the  ninety  townships  in  the  six  counties  do  not  have  a  foot 
of  improved  road.  By  grouping  the  ninety  townships  into  four 
groups  according  to  the  number  of  improved  roads  they  have,  an  in- 
teresting relation  between  good  roads,  growing  populations  and  pros- 
pering churches  discloses  itself.  Where  the  roads  are  poorest  the 
population  is  decreasing;  where  they  are  best  the  population  is  in- 
creasing.    Where  the  number  of  miles  of  improved  roads  is  greatest, 

16 


both  the  church  membership  per  township  and  the  enrollment  per 
church  is  greatest.     These  facts  are  shown  in  the  following  table: 


Miles  of 

Improved 

Road 


Change  in 
Population 
1900-1910 


Church  ^ 
Membership ' 
per    Town- 
ship 


Twenty-two  townships  with 

the  poorest  roads  0  11.4%     dec. 

Twenty  three  townships 

with  poor  roads 44  (i^%     dec. 

Twenty-two  townships  with! 

good  roads   174  0.02%  dec. 

Twenty  three  townships 

with  the  best  roads 490  6%  inc. 


305 
346 
375 
501 


Members 

per 
Church 


55.9 

56 

63.1 

100.3 


This  table  is  in  no  wise  intended  to  teach  that  good  roads  are  the 
only  cause  of  growing  churches  and  a  thriving  community.  The 
prosperity  and  density  of  population  which  permits  them  to  be  built 
indicates  a  community  with  an  income  adequate  for  supporting  a 
church.  The  roads  in  time  increase  the  prosperity  of  the  community 
and  for  that  reason  churches  thrive  and  the  population  is  not  so  apt 
to  decline. 

The  section  is  fairly  well  supplied  with  railroads,  although  the  train 
service  is  far  from  being  on  par  with  the  advertised  schedules.  In 
the  building  of  electric  car  lines,  the  section  is  especially  backward, 
there  being  only  thirty-five  miles  of  trolley  in  all  the  six  counties. 

The  Ohio  and  Muskingum  rivers  would  seem  to  afiford  rather  ready 
avenues  of  communication,  but  transportation  by  steamers  is  so 
slow  and  so  undependable  that  they  do  not  possess  the  advantages 
that  would  at  first  appear.  Even  with  the  locks  and  dams  along  the 
Ohio  the  traffic  is  still  very  irregular.  For  constancy  of  traffic  the 
Muskingum  is  more  dependable  than  the  Ohio.  For  years  past  the 
steamboats  on  the  former  have  been  able  to  run  throughout  the  year, 
whereas  on  the  latter  conditions  have  been  such  that  boats  could  not 
run  except  for  something  like  a  half-year  or  less.  Although  the  rivers 
can  doubtless  be  made  far  more  serviceable  for  purposes  of  transporta- 
tion than  they  are  at  present,  yet  we  believe  that  the  opening  up  of 
markets  to  the  farmers  of  the  district  depends  largely  upon  better  rail- 
road service,  the  extension  of  trolley  lines,  and  the  building  of  im- 
proved roads. 

For  the  sake  of  completeness  in  this  review  of  the  means  of  com- 
munication, mention  should  be  made  of  the  telephone  service  made 
use  of  by  a  growing  number  of  the  farming  families.  The  proportion 
of  farm  homes  in  which  telephones  are  found  ranges  from  thirty  per 

17 


cent,  in  Adams  County  to  eighty  per  cent,  in  Athens  County.  Tele- 
phones are  not  an  unmixed  blessing.  Being  on  party  lines,  they  be- 
come news-distributing  agencies  for  the  neighborhood.  While,  on 
the  one  hand  they  afford  many  conveniences  and  facilitate  business, 
they  have,  on  the  other  hand,  practically  done  away  with  the  old- 
fashioned  all-day  visits,  which  were  such  a  fine  expression  of  the 
social  unity  of  a  neighborhood. 


A    ROAD   THAT   IIKLI'S 


3.     Community  Leadership. 

In  seventy- four  out  of  the  ninety  comnumities  studied,  there  could 
not  be  found  any  man  or  institution  standing  out  conspicuously  as  a 
directing  force.  The  church  rebukes  most  cases  of  individual  wrong- 
doing, but  because  of  its  lack  of  a  resident  minister  is  seldom  effective 
in  leading  and  assisting  in  the  improvement  of  the  community.  In 
its  lack  of  a  resident  minister  the  church  Itoses  its  opportunity   for 

18 


A  ROAD  THAT  HINDERS 


leadership.  The  reason  why  leadership  on  the  part  of  individuals  is 
so  rare  is  that  the  ahlest  of  the  farmers  are  not  aware  that  they  need 
to  work  together  under  the  guidance  of  trusted  leaders.  There  is  an 
absence  of  a  common  purpose.  Each  farmer  is  for  himself.  "If  I 
were  planning  to  go  to  market  tomorrow  with  a  load  of  apples,"  said 
one  farmer,  "and  any  one  of  my  neighbors  were  to  find  it  out,  he 
would  get  up  before  daylight,  load  his  wagon  and  beat  me  to  town,  in 
order  to  sell  his  stuff  ahead  of  me."  Middlemen  take  advantage  of 
this  individualism.  Within  a  radius  of  four  miles  there  was  found  a 
variation  of  sixty  cents  per  barrel  in  the  price  of  approximately  the 
same  kind  of  apples,  marketed  at  the  same  place  at  about  the  same 
time.  "Now  don't  tell  anyone  around  here,  but  I  think  I  got  a  little 
more  than  my  neighbors,"  said  the  man  who  got  the  lowest  price. 
The  self-reliant  individualism  of  these  farmers,  inherited  from  their 
pioneer  fathers  is,  under  new  conditions,  the  greatest  weakness  of 
the  sons  of  the  men  it  once  strengthened. 

At  present  there  are  some  leveling  influences  at  work  against  the 
stubborn  individualism  of  these  communities.  The  pressure  of  un- 
just comljinations,  which  control  the  markets  and  against  which  the 
individual  farmer  is  helpless,  is  tending  to  force  the  farmers  to  work 
together.     The  Marietta  Truck  Growers'  Association  is  an   instance 

19 


of  a  successful  organization  of  farmers  for  the  promotion  of  their 
own  interests. 

4.     Community  Meetings,  Informal  and  Formal, 

More  intermingling  at  friendly  gatherings  would  tend  to  destroy 
the  prevailing  mutual  distrust  and  narrow  individualism,  but  as  yet 
no  institution  in  all  the  district  studied  is  providing  suitable  places 
for  the  informal  meetings  of  the  rural  people.  At  present  they  get 
together  at  the  railway  stations,  livery  barns,  pool  rooms,  lodge  halls, 
saloons,  blacksmith  shops,  post  offices,  streets  and  stores.  Neither 
the  school  nor  the  church  of  any  village  in  the  six  counties  has  as  yet 
taken  advantage  of  this  opportunity  of  providing  a  suitable  social 
place  for  the  farmer's  boys  and  girls,  or  a  rest  room  for  the  farmer's 
wife. 

But  not  only  in  providing  suitable  places  for  casual  and  informal 
meetings,  can  the  churches  and  schools  serve  more  adequately  the 
rural  population  of  Southeastern  Ohio,  but  also  they  will  meet  an 
urgent  need  if  they  provide  a  larger  number  of  gatherings  where  all 
the  neighborhood  can  meet  to  develop  a  community  spirit.  The  fol- 
lowing assemblies  were  found  in  rare  instances  to  be  so  well  attended 
as  to  be  properly  called  meetings  of  the  community:  County  Fairs, 
public  school  entertainments,  Farmers'  Institutes,  Fourth  of  July 
celebrations,  camp  meetings,  Sunday  School  conventions,  Chautauquas, 
Memorial  and  Labor  Day  celebrations,  Sunday  School,  Lodge  and 
Grange  picnics,-FIarvest  Home  celebrations.  Old  Soldiers'  Reunions, 
funerals,  and  Home  Comings.  Picnics  are  the  most  popular  of  all 
diversions  that  form  an  opportunity  for  informal  visiting,  and  for 
the  meeting  of  whole  families  with  one  another.  Before  the  people 
will  co-operate,  they  must  come  to  know  each  other.  These  com- 
munity gatherings  give  the  people  a  chance  to  become  acquainted  with 
one  another,  and  thus  give  impetus  to  the  spirit  of  unity  and  co-oper- 
ation. 

We  desire,  in  this  connection,  to  commend  the  Farmers'  Gubs, 
which  are  doing  such  a  good  work  in  promoting  the  spirit  of  unity 
in  some  of  the  more  prosperous  sections  of  Washington  County. 
Meeting  once  a  month  at  the  homes  of  their  members,  they  contribute 
much  to  the  social  life  of  their  respective  communities.  We  believe 
that  they  could  perform  a  still  larger  service  by  including  co-operative 
buying  and  selling  among  their  activities,  but  we  would  not  have 
them  in  any  way  lessen  their  endeavors  along  social  and  educational 
lines.     On  the  following  page  we  print  the  constitution  and  by-laws 

20 


CONSTITUTION  AND  BY-LAWS 
Of  a 

FARMERS'   CLUB   IN  WASHINGTON   COUNTY 

Constitution.  .; 

Article  I. 
This  organization,  which  is  for  the  mutual  improvement  of  its  members,  shall 
be  called  "The Farmers*  Club." 

Article  II. 

The  members  of  this  club  shall  consist  of  farmers  of 

township  and  adjacent  townships,  with  their  families,  as  active  members,  to- 
gether with  any  others  as  associate  members  (Associate  members  not  having 
a  vote)  who  shall  be  elected  by  a  two-thirds  vote  at  any  regular  meeting,  each 
of  whom  shall  sitbscribe  his  name  to  this  Constitution. 

Article  III. 
All  persons  signing  the  Constitution  this  13  day  of  August,  1904,  and  paying 
their  annual  dues,  shall  constitute  the  original  membership.     All  members  who 
are  in  arrears  for  more  than  one  year's  dues  shall  not  be  qualified  members. 

Article  IV. 

Each  member  over  16  years  of  age  shall  pay  into  the  treasury  25  cents 
annually,  and  such  additional  sum  as  the  club  may  see  fit  to  assess  not  to  exceed 
25  cents. 

Article  V. 

This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  members 
present  at  any  regular  meeting,  notice  having  been  given  in  writing,  at  the 
previous  meeting. 

By-Laws. 

Section  1.  This  Club  shall  meet  at  the  residence  of  one  of  its  members 
on  the  second  Saturday  of  each  month  and  have  a  picnic  dinner. 

Section  2.  The  exercises  of  the  Club  shall  begin  at  1 :30  P.  M.  The  hour 
of  serving  dinner  shall  be  12  o'clock  noon. 

Section  3.  The  literary  exercises  shall  consist  of  recitations,  essays,  read- 
ings, criticisms,  queries  and  discussions,  which  shall  be  so  conducted  as  to 
exclude  contention.  And  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  member  to  prepare  the 
work  assigned  them  or  provide  a  substitute. 

Section  4.  Each  member  shall  be  privileged  to  invite  friends  to  any  meeting, 
and  when  this  privilege  is  exercised  shall  provide  for  their  lunch. 


21 


of  one  of  these  organizations.  In  glancing  through  the  1912  Year 
Book  of  this  club,  we  note  the  following  as  some  of  the  subjects  dis- 
cussed at  its  meetings:  "Doctoring  an  Old  Orchard",  "Parcels  Post", 
"Qualities  of  Shorthorn  Cattle",  "Potato  Culture",  "The  Country 
School",  "Music  in  the  Home",  "The  Advantages  of  the  Cream  Sep- 
arator", "Feeding  Cattle  Economically."  The  mutual  helpfulness  ex- 
pressed in  such  an  organization  cannot  help  but  do  good  to  its  com- 
munity. There  are  at  least  four  such  clubs  in  the  county.  Each 
country  church  would  do  well  to  inquire  into  the  desirability  of  having 
a  club  of  similar  character  as  one  of  its  regular  organizations. 

5.     Recreation  and  Morals. 

The  problem  of  recreation  is  one  of  difficulty  in  villages,  and  of 
extreme  difficulty  in  the  country  communities.  Many  district  schools 
do  not  have  an  attendance  large  enough  for  organized  play  of  any 
sort.  Baseball  is  the  most  popular  game,  yet  few  regular  baseball 
teams  are  maintained.  For  instance,  in  all  Morgan  County,  only  two 
teams  are  kept  going  with  other  than  a  very  tentative  organization. 
In  this  same  county  there  is  no  gymnasium  or  public  play  ground, 
and  it  may  be  said  that  there  is  no  investment  whatever  in  any  play 
apparatus.  As  a  result,  the  country  boys  seek  their  recreation  in  the 
towns.  Conditions  of  this  sort  prevail  throughout  the  six  counties. 
In  consequence  of  the  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  churches  and  schools 
to  provide  wholesome  recreation,  it  generally  falls  into  the  hands  of 
irresponsible  interests  and  becomes  degenerate.     The  cheap  and  im- 


TllE  HOME  OF  A  POOR  FARMER 

22 


moral  show,  furnished  by  commercial  agencies,  filches  the  nickels  from 
the  country  boys  and  girls.  The  motion  picture  shows  are  too  fre- 
quently immoral  in  their  appeal,  although  it  should  be  said  that  in  a 
growing  number  of  cases  the\-  are  in  the  hands  of  men  who  allow 
only  high  grade  films,  and  that  the  moral  tone  of  the  average  moving 
picture  show  is  generally  good.  In  West  Union,  Adams  County,  the 
business  men  furnish  free  motion  picture  shows  on  Saturday  after- 
noons and  evenings  for  the  country  people. 

Washington  and  Athens  are  the  only  counties  of  the  six  that  have 
licensed  saloons.  But  in  neither  of  these  counties  can  the  presence 
of  the  saloon  be  charged  to  the  people  of  the  farming  communities, 
who,  for  the  most  part,  returned  decided  majorities  against  them  in 
the  recent  I^ocal  Option  elections.  This  is  a  reason  for  viewing  the 
temperance  situation  in  the  district  in  an  encouraging  light. 

The  moral  conditions  in  any  community  have  as  one  index  the 
relation  between  the  sexes,  especially  those  prevailing  between  young 
men  and  young  women.  The  church  has  a  special  duty  here.  It 
should  seek  to  throw  around  young  people  during  the  mating  period 
those  wholesome  religious  influences  that  make  for  self-control  and 
moral  character.  At  present  the  young  people  meet  for  their  courting 
under  more  or  less  unregulated  conditions,  such  as  prevail  at  public 
dances  and  on  long  and  late  buggy  rides.  Country  girls  find  great 
embarrassment  and  monotony  in  entertaining  their  men  friends  in  a 
parlor.  The  buggy  ride  and  the  dance  hall  are  usually  the  only 
alternatives.  If  these  places  of  meeting  and  forming  friendships  are 
considered  unwholesome,  then  let  the  church  provide  healthy  oppor- 
tunities for  the  young  men  to  meet  and  get  acquainted  with  their 
future  wives.  The  pastor  should  not  dissolve  the  young  people's 
society  because  it  turns  out  to  be  "nothing  but  a  courting  institution", 
but  instead  should  give  to  this  most  sacred  of  its  functions  wise 
religious  direction.  The  ministers  throughout  the  section  preach 
against  dancing,  but  it  does  very  little  good  because  it  is  not  always 
accompanied  by  the  provision  of  a  more  wholesome  form  of  social 
enjoyment. 


23 


CHAPTER  V. 
RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

1.  Reason  for  the  Study. 

The  ultimate  purpose  of  the  country  school  and  the  country  church 
in  their  work  for  the  young  is  one  and  the  same.  They  are  both 
seeking  to  equip  the  boys  and  girls  for  efficient  and  useful  living  in 
a  rural  society.  But  in  their  common  task,  there  is  a  differentiation 
in  function.  The  country  school  seeks  to  supply  the  youth  with  the 
intellectual  tools  for  successful  social  intercourse,  whereas  the  country 
church  aims  to  give  the  growing  boys  and  girls  that  religious  dynamic 
which  will  impel  them  to  use  these  tools  for  the  glory  of  God,  and 
for  the  highest  welfare  of  the  rural  community.  These  two  functions 
are  closely  related  to  one  another.  Neither  institution  can  afford  to 
be  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  the  other.  This  fact  is  the  justification 
for  the  inclusion  of  a  study  of  the  rural  schools  of  Southeastern  Ohio 
in  this  report.  The  country  churches  of  the  district  have  a  right  to 
know  whether  or  not  the  country  schools  are  adequately  performing 
their  part  of  the  common  task.  This  part  of  our  pamphlet  seeks  to 
supply  them  with  an  answer  to  this  inquiry. 

2.  Scope  of  the  Study. 

Unless  otherwise  indicated,  whatever  is  here  said  about  educational 
conditions  in  Southeastern  Ohio,  is  based  upon  an  investigation  made 
during  the  summer  of  1912  of  548  rural  schools,  distributed  as  fol- 
lows: Adams  County,  119;  Athens,  88;  Lawrence,  117;  Vinton,  74; 
and  Washington,  150.  The  schools  of  Morgan  County  have  not  been 
included  in  this  report  because  they  were  studied  in  co-operation  with 
the  Ohio  State  School  Survey  Commission  and  have  been  reported 
upon  by  that  organization. 

3.  Material  Equipment. 

In  point  of  material  equipment,  the  rural  schools  of  the  five  counties 
are  as  a  rule  sadly  behind  the  times.  Inadequacy  appears  almost 
everywhere.  Of  the  548  school  buildings  investigated,  526  (96%) 
are  of  frame,  18  of  brick,  2  of  concrete,  and  2  of  logs.  Those  having 
one  room  only  number  475 ;  two  rooms,  45 ;  three  rooms,  3 ;  four 
rooms,  15;  five  rooms,  2;  and  six  or  more  rooms,  8.     Of  course,  no 

24 


one  has  any  complaint  against  frame  and  one-room  school  buildings 
in  those  places  where  the  conditions  would  seem  to  demand  their  con- 
struction ;  but  what  every  patron  of  the  schools  has  a  right  to  demand 
is  that  the  school  building,  of  whatever  material  or  of  whatever  size, 
shall  be  so  constructed  and  so  equipped  as  to  minister  most  largely  to 
the  physical  health  and  the  intellectual  growth  of  the  scholars.  But 
this  is  not  the  case  with  most  of  the  rural  school  buildings  throughout 
Southeastern  Ohio. 

For  instance,  all  the  one-room  school  buildings  have  windows  on 
both  sides,  a  most  unhealthy  arrangement,  since  the  location  of  win- 
dows on  two  opposite  sides  of  the  school  room  causes  "cross  lights" 
to  work  their  damage  upon  the  eyes  of  the  scholars  and  teacher.  The 
school  room  should  be  lighted  from  the  left  side  or  rear,  or  both,  but 
never  from  the  two  opposite  sides. 

Again,  the  one-room  buildings  are  each  heated  by  a  single  un- 
jacketed  stove,  a  heating  apparatus  that  succeeds  in  roasting  those 
who  have  to,  sit  near  it  and  in  freezing  those  who  are  obliged  to  sit 
far  away  from  it. 

Again,  let  us  take  as  an  example  of  inadequate  equipment  the  seating 
facilities  offered  by  the  rural  schools.  To  be  sure,  they  are  ample 
enough,  except  in  a  few  places;  but  their  quality  is  poor.  The  old- 
fashioned  double  desks  are  found  in  78%  of  the  school  rooms,  the 
remaining  22%  being  furnished  with  the  more  modern  single  desks. 
But  in  only  15%  of  the  school  rooms  were  any  adjustable  desks  found. 
In  only  59  of  the  schools  was  there  a  cloak  room  separate  from  the 
class  room. 

The  equipment  for  instruction  has  been  sorely  neglected.  Wall 
maps  were  found  in  only  38%  of  the  schools,  and  a  smaller  number, 
only  32%,  had  charts  of  any  kind.  Libraries  of  varying  sizes  were 
found  in  seventy-nine  schools.  Twenty-one  of  the  schools  had  either 
an  organ  or  a  piano,  but  it  is  an  interesting  note  upon  the  barrenness 
of  the  rural  schools  to  observe  that  only  five  of  these  twenty-one 
schools  were  situated  in  the  open  country. 

Little  provision  is  made  for  the  development  of  the  children's  sense 
of  beauty.  Li  less  than  half  of  the  school  rooms  are  there  decora- 
tions of  any  sort.  Most  of  these  are  unframed  pictures,  some  of 
which  are  advertisements. 

But  if  the  interior  of  the  average  country  school  in  Southeastern 
Ohio  is  unattractive,  its  exterior  is  even  farther  from  the  ideal.  An 
ugly  school  building  surrounded  by  ill-kempt  grounds  is  not  only  an 
eye-sore  but  also  a  direct  means  of  lowering  the  moral  tone  of  the 

25 


AN  UNTIDY   SCHOOL  YARD 

community.  The  school  property  ought  to  be  constantly  and  silently 
teaching  high  ideals  of  beauty,  neatness,  and  carefulness  to  the  entire 
neighborhood.  But  in  most  places  in  Southeastern  Ohio  the  severely 
plain,  or  even  shabby  school  room,  is  matched  with  grounds  that 
receive  little  attention.  Of  all  the  school  properties  investigated,  only 
8%  had  good  walks,  and  most  of  the  schools  in  the  open  country  had 
no  walks  at  all.  Flower  beds  were  found  in  only  2%  of  the  school- 
yards, although  trees  lent  their  grace  and  their  shade  to  the  grounds 
of  64%  of  the  schools.  In  most  instances,  the  grounds  are  trodden 
out  of  all  beauty  by  the  children  at  their  play.  We  would  not  stop 
the  playing,  but  would  urge  the  setting  aside  of  a  distinct  place  on 
the  school  property  where  the  games  could  be  played.  The  ground 
in  close  proximity  to  the  school  building  could  then  be  made  beautiful 
without  fear  of  molestation.  The  provision  of  such  a  playground 
in  connection  with  most  of  the  rural  schools  would  perhaps  necessitate 
the  allotment  of  a  larger  amount  of  land  to  each  school.  Three-fifths 
of  an  acre  is  the  average  amount  assigned  at  present  throughout  the 
section  surveyed. 

Wells  supply  the  water  for  the  children  in  86%  of  the  schools : 
15%  use  the  water  from  cisterns,  filtering  it  in  most  cases;  7%  get 
water  from  nearby  springs ;  and  2%  carry  it  from  creeks. 

The  toilets  are  for  the  most  part  placed  at  a  respectable  distance 
from  the  school  building,  although  only  a  third  of  them  can  in  any 
wise  be  called  sanitary.     Many  are  not  even  decently  closed. 

26 


4.     Enrollment  and  Attendance. 

Every  year  an  enumeration  is  made  in  each  township  of  all  persons 
of  school  age,  that  is,  of  all  who  are  between  the  ages  of  6  and  21 
years.  Those  between  the  ages  of  16  and  21  are  not  required  to 
attend  school,  and  of  course  many  avail  themselves  of  this  liberty 
allowed  by  the  law.  On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  pupils  enrolled 
in  the  schools  are  under  6  years.  Not  being  able  to  make  the  proper 
allowance  for  these  two  groups,  we  cannot  tell  exactly  what  propor- 
tion of  the  children  who  should  be  in  school  are  actually  enrolled. 
The  relation,  however,  between  the  enrollment  and  the  average  attend- 
ance affords  a  very  satisfactory  index  of  the  efficiency  of  the  schools. 
For  the  five  counties  covered  by  this  section  of  our  report,  this  rela- 
tion is  given  in  the  following  table : 


County 

Average 
Enrollment 

Average 
Attendance 

%  of  Average  At- 
tendance to  Aver- 
age Enrollment 

Adams   

29 

25 
28 
24 
24 

19 
13 
18 
15 
17 

16 

66 

Athens  

52 

Lawrence 

64 

Vinton  

63 

Washington   

71 

All  Five  Counties.. 

26 

61.5 

The  rather  low  percentage  of  attendance  to  enrollment  (61.5%) 
shows  that  many  pupils  are  lax  in  attendance.  According  to  the 
testimonies  of  teachers  interviewed,  a  considerable  number  of  boys 
and  girls  of  school  age  do  not  attend  at  all.  Some  families  send  their 
children  for  a  few  days  at  the  beginning  of  the  term,  and  then  let 
them  drop  out.  Our  investigators  found  one  school  which  enrolled 
only  three  pupils  during  the  winter  of  1911-12.  That  there  were 
other  children  of  school  age  in  this  district  is  revealed  by  the  fact 
that  the  children  of  at  least  three  families  living  within  its  bounds 
did  not  attend  at  all.  In  another  school  the  attendance  for  several 
days  was  one.  The  pupils  did  not  come  because  of  a  "fall-out"  with 
the  teacher.  A  more  extreme  condition  was  found  in  a  certain  place 
in  Athens  County  where  the  teacher  "kept  school"  for  twenty-seven 
consecutive  days  without  a  single  pupil  in  attendance.  In  one  town- 
ship in  Adams  County  the  attendance  was  less  than  53%  of  the  total 
number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  6  and  16  years.  From  our 
review  of  the  situation,  then,  it  would  appear  that  the  rural  schools, 
as  judged  by  the  relation  between  their  enrollment  and  attendance, 
are  not  as  efficient  as  their  loyal  patrons  would  like  to  see  them. 

27 


5.     School  Session. 

If  there  is  a  laxity  in  attendance  upon  school,  one  reason  may  be 
that  the  curriculum  is  not  adapted  to  the  lives  of  the  pupils,  or  if 
adapted,  then  inadequately  taught.  Is  this  one  of  the  causes  operative 
in  Southeastern  Ohio?  For  our  answer,  let  us  take  a  glimpse  at  the 
rural  schools  in  session. 

We  find,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  traditional  country  school  cur- 
riculum still  holds  sway,  with  the  addition  of  the  study  of  agriculture, 
required  by  state  law.  This  latter  subject  is  taught  almost  entirely 
from  books,  there  being  very  little  field  or  experimental  work  done. 
Out  of  463  schools  reporting,  6  included  Domestic  Science  in  the  cur- 
riculum, 4  Manual  Training,  57  Music,  and  76  Drawing.  The  small 
proportion  of  schools  giving  some  attention  to  these  subjects  is  a  very 
evident  fact.  One  cannot  escape  the  conclusion  that  the  course  of 
study  in  most  of  the  rural  schools  is  designed  only  to  prepare  the 
pupils  for  high-school  and  college^  and  not  necessarily  for  life  in  the 
community. 

In  the  second  place,  we  find  that  although  the  session  is  of  proper 
length,  being  eight  months  in  most  cases,  the  average  number  of  reci- 
tations per  day  is  far  too  many  for  efficient  teaching.  The  following 
table  gives  the  number  of  recitations  per  day  in  387  schools  reporting: 


No.  Recitations 

No. 

Schools 

1  to    9 

5 

10  to  14 

14 

15  to  19 

38 

20  to  24 

63 

25  to  29 

140 

30  or  more 

127 

The  table  shows  that  the  larger  proportion  of  the  schools  have  from 
25  to  30  recitations  per  day.  This  means  that  only  about  twelve  min- 
utes can  be  devoted  to  each  recitation.  This  overcrowded  condition 
results  from  the  large  number  of  grades  that  in  the  one-room  schools 
are  placed  under  the  control  of  one  teacher.  The  only  remedy  for  this 
condition  lies  in  some  plan  of  township  centralization  whereby  the 
children  in  one,  two,  or  three  grades  can  be  placed  economically  under 
the  instruction  of  one  teacher. 

We  find,  in  the  third  place,  that  in  the  work  of  most  of  the  rural 
schools  there  is  very  little  recognition  of  the  immense  educational 
value  of  play.  Less  than  3%  of  the  schools  have  any  play  apparatus 
or  recreation  facilities.  The  teachers  usually  play  with  the  pupils  at 
recess,  and  thus  some  direction  is  given  to  this  part  of  their  activities. 

28 


NEED  FOR  CONSOLIDATION 


Five   Counties   tn  rw       X>        \\i.      *<         ^ 


6.     The  Teaching  Force. 

Of  the  612  teachers  employed  in  the  schools  studied  by  our  investi- 
gators, 269  were  men,  and  343  women.  The  training  of  393  was 
ascertained.    Of  these : 

120  Teachers  have  had  only  common  school  training. 
46  Teachers  have  had  some  summer  school  work  in  addition  to  com- 
mon school. 
67  Teachers  have  had  nothing  in  advance  of  high  school. 
4  Teachers  have  had  a  correspondence  course  in  addition  to  high 
school. 
95  Teachers  have  had  normal  training  in  addition  to  high  school. 
44  Teachers  have  had  summer  school  training  in  addition  either  to 

high  school  or  to  high  school  and  normal  training. 
17  Teachers  have  attended  college. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  58%  of  the  612  teachers  have  received 
at  least  a  high  school  training. 

A  state  law  requires  that  a  minimum  of  $40  a  month  be  paid  to 
school  teachers.  Out  of  400  teachers  reporting,  as  many  as  332 
(83%)  received  for  the  year  1911-12  nothing  more  than  this  minimum 
wage.  In  one  county  where  55  reported,  only  4  teachers  received 
more  than  the  $40;  in  another  where  108  reported,  only  7  received 
more.    But  none  of  these  11  fortunate  ones  taught  in  the  open  country. 

29 


The  salaries  paid  to  the  400  teachers  are  as  follows : 

$40—44  paid  to  332  teachers. 

45 — 49  paid  to  11  teachers. 

50 — 54  paid  to  24  teachers. 

55 — 59  paid  to  8  teachers. 

60 — 64  paid  to  4  teachers. 

65 — 69  paid  to  3  teachers. 

70 — 74  paid  to  2  teachers. 

75 — 79  paid  to  2  teachers. 

80 — 84  paid  to  1  teacher. 

85 — 89  paid  to  4  teachers. 

90 — 94  paid  to  4  teachers. 

95 — 99  paid  to  1  teacher. 

100 — or  more  paid  to  4  teachers. 

7.     What  one  Teacher  Has  Done. 

We  can  make  no  better  comment  on  what  we  mean  by  an  efficient 
country  school  teacher  than  by  telling  the  following  true  story  about 
one  of  them : 

When  he  went  to  teach  in  one  of  the  schools  of  Adams  County 
eight  years  ago,  the  weather-boarding  had  been  kicked  off  up  as  high 
as  he  could  reach.  Twenty-two  window  panes  were  broken.  Every- 
thing was  dirty.  Tramps  had  used  the  building  as  a  place  for  roasting 
corn  and  sleeping.  He  refused  to  teach  until  the  building  was  put 
into  shape.  The  Board  furnished  materials,  and  donating  three  days 
of  his  time,  he  made  the  proper  repairs.  He  then  taught  this  school 
for  three  years  and  had  no  trouble  in  keeping  the  property  from  being 
defaced  or  damaged.  In  his  present  school  the  walls  are  decorated 
with  pictures  of  high  artistic  value,  and  there  are  maps  and  charts, 
some  of  which  he  furnished  himself.  The  National  flag  waves  from 
the  flagstaff  or  hangs  on  the  wall  during  the  whole  school  term.  The 
library  contains  one  hundred  and  thirty  volumes,  all  procured  through 
the  influence  of  the  teacher. 

He  is  teaching  his  pupils  the  mixing  of  fertilizers  and  their  value. 
He  has  them  hunt  up  the  old  fertilizer  sacks  and  find  the  proportion 
of  phosphates  and  other  elements  in  the  composition.  The  class  in 
agriculture  was  especially  interested  in  the  germination  of  seeds.  All 
the  pupils  have  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  breeding  of  different  kinds 
of  dairy  cattle,  their  parents  being  engaged  to  a  considerable  extent 
in  dairying. 

30 


On  last  Arbor  Day  an  agricultural  display  was  held  in  the  school 
with  the  following  exhibits :  50  agricultural  bulletins ;  8  agricultural 
papers  taken  in  the  district ;  pictures  of  fruits  and  grains  taken  from 
garden  seed  catalogues;  50  drawings  by  the  children  of  farm  animals, 
seeds  and  fruits;  more  than  50  kinds  of  farm  and  garden  seeds  in 
bottles ;  a  Babcock  milk  tester ;  a  seed  tester  with,  germinating  seeds ; 
a  collection  of  different  kinds  of  soil,  with  litmus  paper  tests;  a 
collection  of  seed-corn  ears  brought  in  by  the  children;  a  drinking 
fountain  for  small  chickens,  made  by  one  of  the  boys;  36  flags  and 
some  good  pictures  hung  on  the  walls. 

The  teacher  was  planning  an  exhibition  of  various  woods  and  a 
demonstration  of  their  use  for  the  pupils  and  parents,  and  expected 
to  send  to  dift"erent  parts  of  the  United  States  for  samples. 

As  to  his  preparation,  he  has  had  a  course  of  4  terms  (10  weeks 
each)  at  a  normal  college  and  has  had  12  years  of  teaching  experience. 
He  is  besides  a  practical  farmer.  Although  he  has  never  studied  agri- 
culture, he  has  attended  Farmers'  Institutes  and  reads  the  best  agri- 
cultural papers  and  bulletins  that  he  can  get.  Besides  newspapers  and 
popular  magazines,  he  takes  five  farm  papers  and  four  periodicals. 
He  tries  to  keep  up  with  the  most  modern  methods  of  education. 
More  young  people  have  taken  up  teaching  from  the  schools  he  has 
taught  than  from  any  others. 


1 

■i  '^^*  ' ,  '*^B     ^m 

AN  IMPROVED  SCHOOL  BUILDING  WITH  WELL  KEPT 
GROUNDS 

31 


8.  The  School  as  a  Community  Center. 

The  school  building,  as  the  property  of  the  entire  community,  can 
very  properly  be  made  the  center  of  social  joys  and  intellectual  delights 
for  all  the  families  within  its  district.  But  in  Southeastern  Ohio  this 
possibility  has  but  very  rarely  been  turned  into  actual  fact.  Of  the 
548  school  buildings,  studied  as  a  basis  for  this  report,  438  or  80% 
of  them  are  used  for  nothing  except  the  ordinary  school  purposes. 
And  of  the  remaining  20%,  only  a  very  few  can  be  called  community- 
centers.  The  following  list  gives  an  idea  of  the  other  purposes  for 
which  this  20%  of  the  school  houses  are  used : 

2>7  are  used  for  Sunday  School. 
27  are  used  for  preaching  services. 

7  are  used  for  elections. 

6  are  used  for  Literary,  Debating  Societies  and  Reading  Circles. 

5  are  used  for  temperance  rallies. 

5  are  used  for  political  meetings. 

5  are  used  for  School  Board  meetings. 

4  are  used  for  traveling  shows. 

2  are  used  for  Fruit  Growers'  Association. 

2  are  used  for  Grange. 

2  are  used  for  meetings  of  Telephone  Company. 

2  are  used  for  revivals. 

2  are  used  for  socials. 

2  are  used  for  Teachers'  meetings. 

1  is  used  for  band  practice. 

1  is  used  for  Farmers'  Club. 

1  is  used  for  Lodge  meetings. 

Occasional  opportunities  for  social  enjoyment  are  ofifered  by  the 
musical  and  literary  entertainments  which  are  given  about  once  or 
twice  a  year  by  55%  of  the  schools.  The  attendance  at  these  enter- 
tainments is  usually  good,  showing  that  the  people  are  appreciative 
of  such  eflforts. 

9.  Summary,  Need  for  Supervision. 

All  of  the  shortcomings  of  the  rural  schools  in  Southeastern  Ohio 
— inadequate  material  equipment,  laxity  in  attendance,  a  curriculum 
unadapted  to  country  life,  insufficient  time  for  satisfactory  instruction, 
lack  of  provision  for  recreation,  incomplete  preparation  of  teachers — 
all  of  these  call  loudly  for  a  closer  supervision  over  the  schools.  Town- 
ship supervision  has  been  found  to  be  beneficial  to  the  schools  in 

32 


almost  every  place  where  it  has  been  tried.  One  township  in  Adams 
County,  having  both  a  superintendent  and  a  truant  officer,  shows  for 
the  year  1911-12  an  average  daily  attendance  of  72%  of  the  children 
between  the  ages  of  6  and  16  years.  But  only  8  out  of  the  76  townships 
in  the  5  counties,  according  to  the  Ohio  School  Report  for  1912,  have 
township  superintendents. 

As  we  write  this  report,  word  reaches  us  that  the  Ohio  School 
Survey  Commission  has  recommended  the  establishment  in  each  county 
of  the  State  of  a  board  of  education  which  will  district  the  county 
for  supervision  purposes,  and  also  elect  a  county  superintendent  who 
will  nominate  district  superintendents  for  the  various  supervision  dis- 
tricts, subject  to  confirmation  by  the  local  boards  of  education  in  these 
same  districts.  We  also  learn  that  a  bill  incorporating  these  recom- 
mendations of  the  Commission  has  been  introduced  into  the  State 
legislature.  Without  in  the  least  attempting  to  pass  judgment  upon 
the  details  of  this  measure,  we  may  be  allowed  to  remark  that  in  our 
opinion  it  represents  a  movement  that  is  headed  in  the  right  direction. 


33 


CHAPTER  VI. 
RELIGIOUS  CONDITIONS  AND  ACTIVITIES. 
1,     Number  and  Distribution  of  Church  Organizations. 

Churches  were  in  ahiiost  every  case  the  first  community  l)uildings 
to  be  erected  in  Southeastern  Ohio.  With  very  few  exceptions  they 
are  spoken  of  respectfully,  almost  reverently,  even  in  those  com- 
munities which  have  ceased  to  support  them.  This  report  undertakes 
to  set  forth  some  of  the  important  facts  concerning  the  churches  of 
the  six  counties  which  are  located  in  the  open  country  or  in  villages 
of  less  than  2,500  people. 

In  the  district  surveyed,  520  churches  were  found.  (Jf  these,  143 
(28%  )  are  in  villages  and  VJ7  (72%)  are  in  the  open  country.  They 
are  distributed  among  the  counties  as  follows : 

Number  o£  Churches. 


County 


Adams  

Athens  

Lawrence  .. , 
Morgan   . . . . 

Vinton   

Washington 

Total  .... 


Village 

Country 

50 

Total 

31 

81 

32 

65 

97 

25 

61 

86 

6 

70 

76 

22 

51 

73 

27 

80 

107 

143 

yn 

520 

2.     Church  Membership  and  Population. 

The  total  membership  of  these  churches  is  33,2v30,  or  22.4%  of 
the  population  of  the  townships  surveyed.  The  following  table  com- 
pares the  population  and  the  membership  of  each  county: 


County 

Adams 

Athens    

Lawrence  . . 

Morgan 

Vinton 

Washington. 

Total  .... 


Population    of   Town- 
ships  Surveyed 

24,755 
33,726 
26,341 
13,457 
13,096 
27,926 


Church   Members  %   of   Population 


139,301 


6,000 
4,431 
6,182 
4,937 
3,489 
6,791 

31,830 


24.2% 
13.1% 
26.5% 
36.7% 
26.6% 
24.3% 

22.8% 


It  will  be  seen  that  Athens  County  falls  more  than  11%  below  any 
of  its  neighbors  in  its  ])roportion  of  church  nienil)crs.  Morgan  County 
on  the  other  hand,  is  10%  above  any  of  the  rest.  The  difference  in 
Athens  County  must  be  interpreted  by  the  fact  that  a  large  number 
of  coal  miners  live  in  its  country  villages.     These  people  are  chiefly 

34 


foreigners,  and  the  church  has  thus  far  failed  to  present  its  appeal 
in  a  way  to  win  them. 

In  Morgan  County,  the  good  showing  as  to  church  membership 
seems  to  be  based  upon  a  greater  evenness  in  the  distribution  of 
property.  There  are  very  few  large  farms,  and  in  proportion  to  fer- 
tility, fewer  small  farms  than  in  any  of  the  other  counties.  In  conse- 
quence democratic  traditions  have  survived,  and  people  feel  them- 
selves on  terms  of  social  equality  with  one  another,  and  hence  meet 
together  more  freely  in  the  church  services. 

3.     Status  of  the  Churches. 

Considering  the  churches  of  the  six  counties  together,  27.8%  show 
an  increase  in  membership  in  the  past  ten  years,  14.9%  are  standing 
still  and  57.3%  are  losing  ground.  The  following  table  compares  the 
counties  in  this  respect  and  shows  how  the  country  churches  have  lost 
especially : 


% 

Growing 

%  Standing 

Still 

%  Losing  Ground 

County 

Village 

42.8 

Country 

21.0 

Comb'd 

28.8 

Village 

28.6 

Country 

15.8 

Comb'd 

20.3 

Village 

28.6 

Country 

63.2 

Comb'd 

Adams    .... 

50.9 

Athens  

30.0 

24.5 

26.7 

26.7 

13.3 

18.7 

43.3 

62.2 

54.6 

Lawrence  . . 

30.0 

38.9 

35.4 

0 

16.7 

12.5 

70.0 

44.4 

52.1 

Morgan  .... 

58.3 

26.1 

32.5 

8.3 

8.7 

9.1 

33.3 

65.2 

58.4 

Vinton  

18.2 

20.0 

19.7 

41.8 

10.0 

18.0 

50.0 

70.0 

62.3 

Washington. 

37.5 

15.4 

20.6 

25.0 
23.2 

23.1 

23.5 
14.9 

37.5 

61.5 

55.9 

Total  .... 

34.2 

25.2 

27.8 

11.3 

42.4 

63.5 

57.3 

Hural    Lhurch    JJeclme  in   OoutlieasWn  Ohio 


Of  /f  3  N/ilUge 
Ch  lurches 


fefc% 


we 


SiK    Counties 


Of   3TT    Coontry 
Chu(-ches 


not     G 


35 


15% 


rowinO 

OKio    nor^l  Life  Swrve*| 


The  alarming  fact  that  three-fourths  (74.8%)  of  the  country 
churches  in  the  six  counties  surveyed  are  either  standing  still  or  losing 
ground,  is  one  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  cause  every  Christian  in 
Southeastern  Ohio  to  stop  and  think.  What  are  the  causes  of  this 
arrest  and  decline? 

4.     Causes  of  Rural  Church  Decline. 

(a)  A  decreasing  rural  population.  Is  it  due  to  the  decrease  in 
the  rural  population  of  this  section  of  the  state?  Such  an  explanation 
sounds  plausible,  and  is  partly  true.  But  it  does  not  adequately  ac- 
count for  the  decline  of  such  a  large  proportion  of  the  churches,  be- 
cause, as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  decline  has  been  more  rapid  than  the 
decrease  in  the  rural  population.  The  six  counties  have  lost  during 
the  last  ten  years  2.5 %>  of  their  population,  but  of  their  church  mem- 
bers they  have  lost  12%.  These  losses  have  been  very  unevenly  dis- 
tributed, as  the  following  table  will  show : 


County 

Increase  or 
Detrease  in  Population 

Increase  or  Decrease  in  Church 

Membership  in  Past  10  Years 

Adarhs    

Athens    

Lawrence   

Morgan 

Vinton    

Washington  

Total 

6.0%  Decrease 
20.1%  Increase 

4.8%  Decrease 
11.3%  Decrease 
14.6%  Decrease 

6.9%  Decrease 

2.5%  Decrease 

10.8%  Decrease 

17.8%  Decrease 

6.1%  Decrease 

7.0%  Decrease 

26.8%  Decrease 

4.8%  Decrease 

12.0%  Decrease 

The  large  increase  in  population  in  Athens  County  has  been  due  to 
foreign  immigrants  who  have  come  to  work  in  the  mines.  The  de- 
crease in  church  membership  is  largely  caused  by  the  removal  of  old 
American  families.  The  churches  of  the  county  seem  to  be  failing  to 
adapt  themselves  to  the  needs  of  the  new  situation.  Leaving  Athens 
County  out  of  our  reckoning,  owing  to  its  peculiar  conditions,  we  find 
that  the  other  five  counties  combined  show  a  decrease  in  population 
of  7.6%,  but  in  church  membership  a  decrease  of  9.5%.  In  one  town- 
ship in  Adams  County  the  population  has  decreased  22.2%,  while  the 
church  membership  has  decreased  47.1%  in  ten  years.  We  must  admit 
that  the  decrease  in  rural  population,  though  it  has  been  a  very  potent 
factor  in  the  decline  of  the  country  churches,  does  not  completely 
explain  it.    Some  other  factors  must  be  included  in  our  explanation. 

(&)  An  absentee  ministry.  Is  it  due  to  the  absence  of  efficient 
leadership  ?  Very  largely  so.  That  the  success  of  any  church  depends 
to  a  considerable  degree  upon  the  ability  of  its  pastor  is  a  truism. 

36 


Changes  m  Popuktion'^V  Church  ITIembership 


(».07. 
I0.Z7. 


20  17, 

n.n 


Athens  Co 


UoLwrente  Co 


1300   -  1310 


AoLarns  Co 

W%MM^y 

TDor^an  Co 

II  2t 

^^^^^^^ 

WMM 

lot 

Ymton   Co 

lHot 

■mmm. 

'WMi!& 

'MMM. 

I'o.if. 

Waslnin^to-n  Co 


6fci 


^  if. 


m 


I»«-I«»>«  11 


5ix  Counties  in 
SoutKeisterTi  Ohio 


cn 


"Dctre tse  "v 


Ohio  KuTdl   LiicSuTVCY 


But  even  an  able  minister,  if  he  does  not  live  within  his  parish,  can- 
not give  to  his  church  adequate  direction.  Churches  do  not  thrive  on 
absent  treatment.  Therefore,  when  we  say,  on  the  basis  of  our  investi- 
gation, that  61%  of  the  churches  in  the  villages  and  open  country  of 
the  six  counties  surveyed  have  non-resident  ministers,  we  have  a  sure 
clue  to  their  decline.  At  the  time  the  survey  was  made,  21%  of  the 
churches  were  without  a  pastor,  leaving  only  18%  that  were  being 
served  by  resident  ministers.     And  yet,  of  this  18%  having  a  resident 

37 


ministry.  47%  were  growing,  while  of  the  61%  having  a  non-resident 
ministry  only  25%  were  growing.  Of  the  21%  without  ministers, 
20%  were  growing.  These  results  show  that  inadequate  leadership, 
due  to  non-resident  pastorates,  is  the  cause  of  much  of  the  decline 
in  the  rural  churches. 

(c)  Over-churching.  The  ideal  is  that  each  church  shall  have  a 
resident  minister.  But  before  this  ideal  can  be  accomi)lished  in  South- 
eastern Ohio,  many  of  the  smaller  churches  must  be  willing  to  fed- 
erate, that  is,  join  with  one  another  for  worship  and  for  work  in 
bettering  their  own  community.  They  will  do  this  perhaps  more 
readily,  if  they  realize  that  in  most  cases  a  small  church  in  communi- 
ties as  old  as  those  of  Southeastern  Ohio  is  a  dying  church.  We  can 
prove  this  fact.  The  average  size  of  a  church  in  the  communities 
studied  is  61.2  members,  ranging  from  45.2  in  Athens  County  to  74.1 
in  Adams  County.  The  following  table  shows  that  more  than  half 
(56.8%)  of  the  churches  of  the  six  counties  are  small,  that  is,  have  a 
membership  of  50  or  less. 

Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  1  to  25  members,  23.7% 
Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  26  to  50  members,  33.1% 
Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  51  to  100  members,  28.8% 
Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  101  to  150  members,  8.3% 
Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  151  to  200  members,  1.9% 
Per  Cent  of  Churches  having  from  200  to  —  members,  4.2% 
The  bearing  of  these  figures  upon  church  growth  and  decline  is 
shown  in  the  following  table : 

Where  the  membership  is 

1 — 25  4.7%  of  the  churches  are  growing. 

26 — 50  21.3%  of  the  churches  are  growing. 

51 — 100  33.9%  of  the  churches  are  growing. 

101 — 150  53.1%  of  the  churches  are  growing. 

151  and  over,  70.8%  of  the  churches  are  growing. 

Over  one-half  of  the  churches  have  a  membership  of  50  or  less, 

and  three- fourths  of  these  are  losing  ground.     Surely  this  is  a  crying 

call  for  the  adoption  of  some  workable  plan  of  federation.     The  fact 

that  there  are  too  many  churches  in  the  territory  surveyed  must  be 

taken  account  of  in  reckoning  the  causes  that  have  led  to  their  decline. 

But,  after  all,  over-churching  is  but  a  symptom.     Its   root  lies  in 

ecclesiastical  selfishness  and  an  unsocial  view  of  religion.     We  will 

have  occasion  to  describe  these  attitudes  when  we  come  to  treat  of 

sectarianism  in  Southeastern  Ohio.     Suffice  it  at  this  point  to  say  that 

unless  they  are  replaced  by  a  willingness  on  the  part  of  the  churches 

38 


Residency  or  Ministers 

520     CliuTches 


(olYo 


zir. 


Kav*  haye  have 

KesidentlZliTuater     Hon-Restdent      lioTRiatsteT 

Tiliriister 


G».TOYt»T>£ 


P5? 


v^^yy\  n.t  Gcfowi-n^ 


S<x  Counties  »T» 
ooutneastern   Onio 


vhfo  lAurdl  Li  Je.  OuTvei 


to  come  together  for  the  building  up  of  their  respective  communities, 
the  decline  of  the  rural  churches  will  not  be  checked. 

(c?)     Poverty  of  the  people.     Are  the  causes  that  we  have  thus  far 
mentioned — decrease    in    rural    population,    a   non-resident   ministry, 

39 


A  Crvjing  Call  for    rederat\on 

FTom     Southeastern    Ohio 
Of  its  churches  with  a  membersh  1 13  of 

a,5  or  less  Afe-50  5I-I0O  IOJ-150  /5I  or  over 

5%  Xi%  SH-fo  53%  11% 

are     Growing 

The  SmaU  chorche?.  wou)c(  fare  tetter  if  Combine d 

Six    counties  OKio  Tio rat  Life    SurvcN^ 

over-churching — all  of  the  factors  that  enter  into  the  problem  of 
church  decline  in  the  rural  districts  of  Southeastern  Ohio?  Doubtless 
there  are  many  more.  But  we  desire  to  make  mention  of  only  one 
other,  and  that  a  very  important  one.  We  refer  to  the  poverty  that 
prevails  among  such  a  large  proportion  of  the  rural  population  through- 
out the  district.  As  asserted  in  the  section  of  this  report  dealing  with 
economic  conditions  (page  11),  fully  one-fourth  of  the  farmers  in 
the  six  counties  are  too  poor  to  contribute  anything  to  the  church. 
The  church  in  a  prosperous  community  makes  its  appeal  to  people 
who  have  time  and  means  for  other  things  than  a  mere  struggle  for 
bread;  and  can,  therefore,  hire  a  more  efficient  pastor  and  furnish 
those  advantages  that  will  secure  and  hold  the  support  of  a  large 
membership.  But  in  a  poverty-stricken  community,  the  church  bell 
sounds  in  the  ears  of  men  and  women  who  are  too  tired  to  listen  to 
it,  and  hence  the  church  fails  to  win  the  people  around  its  very  doors. 
Many  of  the  country  churches  of  Southeastern  Ohio  are  in  coiiinuiiii- 
ties  of  this  latter  type.  And,  as  a  rule,  they  arc  dying.  For  instance, 
Vinton  County's  extreme  poverty  is  paralleled  by  a  loss  of  more  than 
one-fourth  of  its  church  members  during  the  last  decade.  Tbe  income 
of  the  families  to  which  the  country  church  must  appeal  for  support 
is  surely  one  of  the  keys  to  a  solution  of  its  problem. 

(e)     Class  distinctions.    But  not  only  does  the  failure  of  the  entire 

40 


community  to  attend  and  support  the  church  go  back  usually  to  pov- 
erty, but  also  in  many  cases  to  the  invidious  distinctions  and  the 
unwholesome  prejudices  which  poverty  brings  in  its  train.  Poor 
people  do  not  like  the  feeling  of  subordination  which  comes  from 
their  inability  to  dress  as  well  and  mingle  on  terms  of  equality  with 
the  others  who  are  connected  with  the  church.  As  a  result,  the  poor 
members  of  the  community  either  join  the  throng  of  the  churchless 
or  form  a  weak  and  inefficient  organization  of  their  own.  The  situ- 
ation in  Adams  County  is  an  apt  illustration  of  this  tendency,  and 
shows  its  evil  results.  In  that  county,  the  laborers,  small  tenants,  and 
owners  of  poor  hill  farms  are  treated  as  a  distinctly  inferior  class. 
These  poorer  people,  constituting  as  they  do  a  large  section  of  the 
total  population,  are  struggling  to  develop  a  church  life  of  their  own. 
Lacking  as  yet  the  power  to  discriminate,  and  without  the  means  to 
maintain  trained  leaders,  religious  stimulation  runs  frequently  to 
excess  in  its  temporary  manifestations,  but  largely  fails  to  build  up 
congregations  with  a  stable  membership.  A  loss  for  the  last  decade 
of  10.8%  in  the  number  of  its  church  members  is  not  surprising. 
That  those  belonging  to  a  certain  social  class  will  gravitate  to  one 
church  and  exclude  those  of  other  classes  from  its  membership  is 
inevitable.  The  only  way  to  remedy  the  situation  is  to  get  rid  of  class 
distinctions  by  lifting  all  the  people  of  the  community  to  a  plane  of 
social  equality. 

(/)  Failure  to  see  the  economic  value  of  religion.  There  seems  to 
be  one  best  way  for  the  country  church  to  survive.  This  lies  through 
devising  means  for  bringing  prosperity  to  every  family  of  the  com- 
munity. The  country  minister  who  succeeds,  as  did  John  Frederick 
Oberlin,  in  making  all  the  people  prosperous,  will  be  rewarded  by 
reaching  all  the  people  for  his  church.  The  need  is  imperative.  At 
the  present  rate  of  loss  in  membership,  it  will  be  but  a  few  years  until 
two-thirds  of  the  country  churches  in  Southeastern  Ohio  will  be 
abandoned.  This  will  not  result  in  attendance  elsewhere,  but  rather 
in  the  dying  out  of  organized  religion.  Such  communities  exist 
already.  The  poverty  that  destroys  the  church  lowers  also  the  moral 
standards  of  the  people.  One  community  in  Adams  County  and  two 
or  three  in  Lawrence  County  have  reached  levels  which  render  their 
conduct  unfit  for  publication.  It  is  far  easier  for  the  church  to  in- 
spire its  members  to  take  an  active  hand  in  the  restoration  of  pros- 
perity and  the  upbuilding  of  community  life,  before  such  stages  are 
reached,  than  to  recover  these  communities  after  integrity  of  char- 
acter among  their  people  has  been  lost. 

41 


Before  we  close  our  discussion  of  this  topic,  we  desire  to  caution 
the  reader  against  a  possible  misunderstanding.  In  emphasizing  the 
necessity  of  the  church  to  pay  attention  to  the  material  prosperity  of 
its  people,  we  do  not  desire  to  be  interpreted  as  claiming  that  the 
success  of  the  church  is  a  material  matter  and  rests  upon  "mere" 
economics.  Nay,  we  believe  that  the  success  of  the  church  is  a  spirit- 
ual matter  and  rests  upon  the  consecrated  endeavors  of  men  and 
women  who  have  been  touched  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  God,  who 
has  given  us  our  minds  with  which  to  think,  is  surely  telling  us  in 
unmistakable  terms  that  the  economic  prosperity  of  any  people  is  one 
of  the  very  real  conditions  upon  which  depends  their  spiritual  wel- 
fare. Surely,  he  who  is  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  will  not  ignore  this 
revelation  which  He  has  vouchsafed  to  us,  but  will  accept  it  and  use 
it  as  a  regulative  principle  in  his  work  for  the  church. 

Too  many  people  think  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  being  confined  in  His 
activities  to  revival  meetings.  If  this  were  true,  we  could  assert  that 
He  has  signally  failed  in  building  up  the  rural  churches  of  South- 
eastern Ohio.  Of  the  rural  churches  in  the  six  counties  surveyed, 
72^c  held  revival  meetings  during  the  twelve  months  previous  to  the 
time  of  the  survey,  and  most  of  these  churches  have  been  holding  such 
meetings  every  year  for  many  years  jxist.  and  yet,  the  same  propor- 
tion of  them  (72%)  are  either  standing  still  or  losing  ground.  The 
revival  method  has  not  succeeded  in  permanently  building  up  the 
churches.  We  rejoice  in  all  the  good  that  these  protracted  meetings 
have  accomplished.  But  let  us  have  a  broad  and  truly  Christian  view 
of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Let  us  rejoice  in  the  truth  that  the 
churches,  in  seeking  to  l)uil(l  up  their  communities  and  to  bring  an 
adequate  income  to  every  family,  are  therein  following  the  leading 
of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

5.     Sectarianism. 

There  are  at  least  40  (Icnomiiialions  rc])resented  in  the  six  counties, 
listed  as  follows : 

Denominations.  No.  of  Churches. 

Apostolic  Holiness 7 

Baptist : 

Missionary  Baptist   47 

Free  Will    14 

Union   5 

Colored 4 

Regular 3 

42 


Primitive  Baptist 1 

Separate  Baptist 1 

Brethren 2 

Brothers  Society  of  America 1 

Catholic   (Roman)    10 

Christian 19 

Christian  Order 1 

Christian  Union  15 

Church  of  Christ  in  Christian  Union 2 

Church  of  God  (Saints)    4 

Come  Outers  1 

Congregational 11 

Disciples,  Non-Progressive    7 

Disciples,  Progressive 40 

Emanuel  Mission 1 

Episcopal  1 

Evangelical  Association   3 

Evangelical  Protestant   3 

Friends 3 

Latter  Day  Saints   4 

Lutheran 7 

Mennonite 2 

Methodist : 

Methodist  Episcopal   175 

Methodist  Protestant    33 

Free  Methodist    6 

Wesleyan  Methodist   2 

German  M.  E 1 

African  M.  E 1 

Nazarenes 1 

Presbyterian : 

Presbyterian  U.  S.  A 36 

United  Presbyterian    5 

United  Brethren : 

United  Brethren,  Liberal 51 

United  Brethren,  Radical 6 

Universalist  4 


43 


A  DVIXG  CIIURCn.     THE  RESULT  OF  SECTARIANISM 

Southeastern  Ohio  has  suffered  greatly  from  sectarianism.  Where 
ecclesiastical  selfishness  exists  and  each  denomination  looks  after  it- 
self, without  any  reference  to  what  the  other  denominations  are  doing, 
there  is  bound  to  be  over-churching  in  some  communities  and  under- 
churching  in  others.  In  Adams  County,  one  township  with  36  square 
miles  and  976  people,  has  seven  churches,  while  an  adjoining  town- 
ship with  40  square  miles  and  1,332  people  has  but  one  church  organi- 
zation of  35  members,  and  one  other  preaching  place.  One  township 
in  Lawrence  County  with  1,639  people  has  ten  church  buildings,  one 
of  which  is  abandoned.  Another  township,  with  33  square  miles  and 
with  a  population  of  950,  has  but  one  church  building,  and  another 
organization  meeting  in  a  school  house.  Considering  the  six  counties 
together,  there  is  one  church  to  every  268  people.  Vinton  and  Mor- 
gan Counties  have  each  one  church  for  every  180  people. 

In  25%  of  the  communities  there  is  still  some  church  strife.  Adams 
County  has  been  the  scene  of  considerable  dissension.  A  United 
Brethren  congregation  was  divided  twenty  years  ago  over  the  question 
of  secret  societies.  One  of  the  resulting  churches  is  now  abandoned; 
the  other  has  less  than  twelve  members.  A  Methodist  Protestant 
church  split  off  from  a  Methodist  Episcopal  church  through  a  dis- 
pute over  the  erection  of  the  church  building.  In  a  village  of  a  dozen 
houses  an  Apostolic  Holiness  church  was  formed  by  dissatisfied  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church,  and  a  new  church  house  was  built.  In 
1910  a  Pentacostal  Nazarene  preacher  held  meetings  in  the  Holiness 
Church  and  organized  a  band  of  his  own  sect.    A  quarrel  ensued,  and 

44 


the  Pentacostal  Nazarenes  tore  off  the  locks  put  on  by  the  other 
faction,  put  on  locks  of  their  own  and  nailed  down  the  windows. 
They  gained  possession  of  the  deed,  but  returned  it  later.  Both  con- 
gregations are  now  disorganized.  In  the  words  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers, "The  Devil  got  into  the  church  and  tore  it  up." 

Organized  religion  throughout  the  region  has  suffered  considerably 
through  the  inroads  of  Holiness  sects.  These  sects  stand  for  emotion 
and  excitement  with  little  ethical  content.  Holiness  preachers  gen- 
erally come  into  a  community  well  supplied  with  churches.  The 
excitement  of  their  meetings  draws  people  from  other  churches,  which 
then  decline  and  possibly  die  from  lack  of  support.  The  new  church 
thrives  for  a  while,  but  the  people  soon  tire  of  the  excitement,  and 
lacking  organization  it  falls  to  pieces,  leaving  the  community  in  a 
worse  state  than  before.  Holiness  sects  thrive  especially  among  the 
poorer  and  more  ignorant  classes.  They  attract  the  greatest  following 
in  places  where  the  other  churches  are  doing  little  to  serve  the  com- 
munity. 

Indeed,  the  root  of  all  the  evils  of  sectarianism  is  a  failure  to  see 
that  religion  has  significance,  not  only  for  the  individual,  but  also 
for  the  community  as  a  whole.  This  sounds  like  a  truism,  and  it  is. 
But  if  the  Christian  people  of  Southeastern  Ohio  really  believed  it, 
five  years  would  not  pass  before  there  would  be  a  federation  of 
churches  in  every  over-churched  rural  community  throughout  the 
district.  A  common  service  for  the  welfare  of  their  respective  com- 
munities would  soon  bind  them  together  in  Christian  love. 

Are  there  any  evidences  of  a  dawning  spirit  of  active  co-operation 
among  the  rural  churches  of  this  section  of  the  state?  Occasional 
union  meetings  are  about  the  only  sign  that  can  be  found  at  present. 
Such  meetings  have  been  held  in  20%  of  the  communities  for  the 
following  purposes : 

Children's  Day,  Memorial  Day,  Sunday  School  Convention,  Com- 
mencement, revivals  and  temperance  meetings.  The  only  instance 
found  of  regular  union  meetings  was  in  a  village  of  Adams  County 
where  the  three  churches  met  together  on  Sunday  evenings  during 
one  of  the  summer  months.  Twelve  union  revival  meetings  were  found 
to  have  been  held  during  the  winter  previous  to  the  time  of  making 
the  survey.  Six  of  these  were  held  in  villages  of  Adams  County.  In 
one  of  the  villages  the  union  character  of  the  revival  was  such  a 
novelty  as  to  cause  considerable  comment.  The  people  thought  that 
such  meetings  could  never  be  held.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  proved  to 
be  the  best  revival  in  years. 

45 


6.  Material  Equipment  of  the  Churches. 

The  total  value  of  the  church  buildings  in  the  districts  surveyed  is 
$650,000.  Nearly  one-half  of  the  edifices  are  valued  at  less  than 
$1,000  each.  The  usual  type  of  building  is  that  of  a  one-room  struc- 
ture.   Out  of  459  churches  reporting: 

378  have  one  room  each 
50       "     two  rooms    " 
18       "     three    " 

9       "     four     " 

3       "     five       " 

1  has  seven  " 
A  one-room  church  building  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  adequate  to 
serve  as  a  community  center.  Federation  of  denominations  in  over- 
churched  communities  would  result  in  church  edifices  more  worthy  of 
their  high  purpose  and  better  designed  for  community  service.  A 
church  in  the  open  country  in  Morgan  County  has  been  built  at  a  cost 
of  $5,400,  and  has  five  rooms,  three  of  which  are  used  for  library, 
kitchen  and  dining  room.  In  the  matter  of  heating,  90%  of  the 
churches  have  stoves,  the  remaining  10%  being  favored  with  furnaces. 
As  to  artificial  lighting.  71%  use  oil,  15%  gas,  9%  gasoline,  4%  elec- 
tricity, and  1%  acetylene.  It  is  a  commendable  fact  that  84%  of  the 
buildings  were  found  to  be  in  good  repair.  But  it  is  less  commendable 
that  only  68%  of  the  grounds  surrounding  the  churches  were  found 
in  good  condition.  The  country  church  should  by  all  means  provide  a 
shelter  for  the  farmer's  team.  But  in  all  six  counties,  only  3%  of 
the  country  churches  had  horse-sheds  upon  their  grounds. 

7.  Classification  of  the  Church  Membership. 

In  this  report,  we  will  make  but  two  classifications  of  the  church 
members:   first,  as  to  sex;  and  second,  as  to  their  economic  status. 

Southeastern  Ohio  shows  a  low  percentage  in  the  number  of  males 
within  its  churches.  In  the  six  counties  surveyed,  38.7%  of  the  church 
members  are  males,  while  61.3%  are  females.  In  population,  the  six 
counties  contain  more  males  (50.7%)  than  females.  Evidently,  some- 
thing needs  to  be  done  to  interest  more  men  and  boys  in  the  work  of 
the  church. 

The  church  is  not  winning  the  tenant  farmer  to  the  same  extent 
that  it  is  winning  the  owner.  Of  the  farm  operators  in  the  six  coun- 
ties 20.7%  are  tenants  and  78.5%  are  owners,  while  of  the  farmers  on 
the  church  rolls  only  15.4%  are  tenants  and  84.6%  are  owners.  While 
this  discrepancy  is  not  as  large  in  Southeastern  Ohio  as  in  wealthier 
sections  of  the  state,  nevertheless  it  is  another  indication  of  the  fact 

46 


MEN   NEEDED! 

Fopu  oLiion 

ITlale    50.7?: 

Femak  1-9.3?: 

Cliurc^   TTl^mloftrbh 

jp 

m^ied8.7% 

Female  6  (.3X 

5i  t  Counties  in 

SoutheiitcrTi  Ohio                             Ohio  Rural  Life  ouT^t^^ 

r 

that  where  the  church  is  not  making  a  special  effort  to  minister  to  all 
within  its  reach,  it  becomes  the  church  of  a  class,  and  generally  of 
that  class  which  is  better  able  to  support  it,  in  this  case,  the  owning 
class. 

8.     Sunday  Schools. 

The  rural  Sunday  School  plays  a  more  important  part  in  the  life 
of  the  church  than  does  the  Sunday  School  of  the  city.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  where  circuits  are  large  and  preaching  services  come  only 
once  or  twice  a  month.  The  Sunday  School  services  held  every  week 
give  continuity  to  church  life.  The  rural  Sunday  School  is  an  institu- 
tion for  old  and  young  alike  and  generally  includes  all  active  church 
members. 

(a)  Number  and  Distribution.  A  total  of  536  churches  in  South- 
eastern Ohio  were  examined  with  reference  to  the  Sunday  School, 
the  16  rural  churches  in  the  four  townships  of  Washington  County, 
not  included  in  the  rest  of  the  survey,  being  added  to  the  520  mentioned 
on  page  34  of  this  pamphlet.  Out  of  the  536  churches,  65  were 
found  that  had  no  Sunday  School,  leaving  the  total  of  churches  with 

47 


Sunday  Schools  at  471.  Adding  to  this,  the  11  schools  that  were 
found  existing  independently  of  any  church  organization,  we  have  a 
total  of  482  Sunday  Schools  as  the  basis  for  this  report.  Of  these 
schools,  142  are  in  villages  of  less  than  2,500  people,  and  340  are  in 
the  open  country.  Most  of  them  (81.1%)  are  held  the  year  around. 
The  remaining  18.9%  are  held  for  less  than  9  months  of  the  year. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  short  term  Sunday  Schools  are  in  the  open  country. 

(b)  Enrollment  and  Attendance.  The  total  enrollment  of  113  vil- 
lage Sunday  Schools  is  10,648  or  94.2  members  per  Sunday  School. 
In  284  country  Sunday  Schools  there  are  enrolled  13,986  or  an  aver- 
age of  49.2  per  school.  On  this  basis  the  total  enrollment  of  all  the 
Sunday  Schools  is  30,000  or  19.3%  of  the  population. 

In  the  statistics  of  61  village  and  127  country  Sunday  Schools, 
enrolling  a  total  of  1 1,033,  the  pupils  were  classified  by  ages  as  follows : 


Ages 

Per  Cent  of  Pupils 

Village  

Country 


4-5  yrs.     6-8  yrs.    9-12  yrs 


12.9% 
13.5% 


14.3% 
14.6% 


18.2% 
17.9% 


13-16  yrs. 


15.5% 
17.2% 


.-  „        I  20  yrs. 
17-19  yrs.      ^^^^ 


14.3% 
16.0% 


24.8% 
20.8% 


The  pupils  from  6  to  19  years  inclusive  represent  64%  of  the  total 
enrollment  of  these  188  schools.  On  the  basis  of  30,000,  as  an  esti- 
mated total  enrollment  for  the  482  schools  covered  by  the  survey,  the 
total  number  of  Sunday  School  pupils  between  the  ages  of  6  and  19 
years  in  these  schools  is  19,200,  which  is  only  40.8%  of  46,966,  the 
total  number  of  persons  from  6  to  20  years  inclusive  in  the  six  coun- 

DOVJS  and  Girls    Not  in    Sundavf- School 
oH.  out  of  every  ten  are  on  the  outside 


4'fo,9<?6    from  6^o  a.Oi"c  m  Hie   populition 


19,^.00  (f  0.8%) 
from  fc<o  iq  inc  in  the 
Sunday -Schools 


SiXw  counties    m 
Southeastern  Ohio 


Uhio  Kural  Lire    b 


urv/6v/ . 


48 


ties.  Out  of  every  ten  boys  and  girls  from  6  to  20  years  of  age,  six 
are  not  enrolled  in  any  Sunday  School, 

The  total  average  attendance  of  110  village  Sunday  Schools  report- 
ing is  6,594  or  59.9fo  for  each  school;  and  of  286  country  Sunday 
Schools  reporting,  9,314  or  32.6%  for  each  school.  On  this  basis  the 
number  of  pupils  present  in  all  Sunday  Schools  on  an  average  Sunday 
throughout  the  rural  sections  of  the  six  counties  would  be  about  19,500. 

In  villages  the  attendance  is  63.6%  of  the  enrollment;  in  the  open 
country  66.3%.  This  better  attendance  in  the  country,  in  spite  of 
the  greater  distance  to  travel  in  getting  to  church,  is  an  evidence  of  the 
higher  place  of  the  country  Sunday  School  in  church  and  community 
life. 

(c)  The  Curriculum.  The  course  of  study  is  generally  the  Uni- 
form International  Lessons.  In  a  very  few  cases  the  Bible  alone  with- 
out helps  is  studied  because  of  objection  to  Sunday  School  literature. 
The  Graded  Lessons  have  been  partially  introduced  in  a  few  favored 
places,  but  no  instance  was  found  of  a  Sunday  School  using  graded 
lessons  in  all  classes.  Small  schools,  classes  with  wide  range  of  ages 
and  few  trained  teachers  seem  to  be  the  principal  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  a  more  extended  use  of  the  graded  lessons.  A  very  few 
schools,  14  in  number,  are  seeking  to  do  away  with  the  last-named 
obstacle  by  having  teacher  training  classes.  '-- '  -. 

{d)  Equipment.  Practically  none  of  the  church  buildings  exam- 
ined by  our  investigators  are  in  any  way  adapted  for  Sunday  School 
purposes.  It  should  be  evident  to  everyone  that  the  ordinary  one- 
room  church  building  is  not  fitted  for  class  instruction  in  the  Sunday 
School.  A  few  schools,  about  20  in  number,  are  trying  to  remedy  the 
situation  by  providing  a  few  additional  rooms,  or  by  using  curtains 
and  screens  to  divide  off  portions  of  the  auditorium. 

{e)  Teachers.  In  the  villages  36%  of  the  teachers  are  men  and 
64%  are  women.  In  the  country  39%  of  the  teachers  are  men  and 
61%  are  women.    The  minister  teaches  in  15%  of  the  schools. 

(/)  Social  Activities.  The  principal  and  in  many  cases  the  only 
social  event  of  the  year  in  country  churches  is  the  Sunday  School 
picnic.  During  the  year  previous  to  the  time  of  the  Survey,  40%  of 
the  village  and  23%  of  the  country  Sunday  Schools  had  picnics.  Other 
social  events,  such  as  class  socials,  suppers,  Christmas  festivals,  etc., 
were  enjoyed  by  41%  of  the  village  and  28%  of  the  country  Sunday 
Schools.  A  large  proportion  of  the  social  life  of  the  Sunday  School 
is  furnished  by  organized  classes,  of  which  we  will  speak  later  under 
the  topic,  "The  Church  and  Social  Life."     The  facts  stated  in  this 

49 


Sunday     5cliool      Outmjs 

lr»  V)//A^es  Iti  Owen  Country 


have 
No    Ticnics 


77/. 


5outKea.stern  OKic 


Oliio  Kural  hie.  5 


urve- 


paragraph  show  that  one-half  of  the  churches  in  the  villages  and  two- 
thirds  of  those  in  the  open  country  are  practically  without  any  social 
life. 

9.     The  Church  and  Social  Life. 

Social  events  under  the  auspices  of  the  churches  are  usually  pro- 
vided by  societies  of  one  kind  or  another.  The  following  table  classi- 
fies church  organizations  of  the  six  counties  according  to  membership 
and  social  activities : 


No.  Organizations  

Average  Members  

Per  Cent.  Giving  Socials 

No  Socials  Reported 

Per  Cent,  of  Socials  for  Pay.. 


Young  Peoples']       Women's  Other 

Organization       Organization       Organizations 


108 
38 

41% 
265 
16% 


127 

26 

57% 
281 

47% 


The  young  peoples'  societies  are  principally  the  Christian  Endeavor, 
Epworth  League  and  B.  Y.  P.  U.  Two  Boy  Scout  organizations  were 
found.  The  women's  societies  are  mainly  Missionary  and  Ladies'  Aid. 
Only  four  men's  organizations  were  found,  as  follows:  2  Catholic 
clubs,  a  Fellowship  club,  and  a  Brotherhood.    In  this  dearth  of  men's 

50 


Whv(  tniS  dreat  difference  ? 


13/7  societies  for  women. 


H-  Societies   for  men 


In  5iO  churclies   m     SoutKeastern   OhiO 

SiK  counties  Ohio  Tlural  Lite  Survey. 

societies  within  the  churches  we  may  have  one  explanation  for  the 
smah  proportion  of  men  in  the  membership  of  the  churches. 

As  community  social  life  has  declined,  many  churches  have  come  to 
look  upon  all  amusements  as  sinful,  or  at  least  as  something  that  the 
church  as  an  institution  should  have  nothing  to  do  with.  Religion  is 
looked  upon  as  something  exclusive,  and  consisting  in  not  doing  certain 
things.  ,One  man  said  that  when  he  had  been  converted  the  Lord 
saved  him  from  fairs,  festivals  and  ice  cream  suppers.  "Base-ball  is 
of  hell!"  exclaimed  another.  Yet  in  that  same  community  one  of  the 
survey  men  on  Saturday  afternoon  found  21  young  men  and  boys 
between  the  ages  of  13  and  30  playing  base-ball.  There  was  practi- 
cally nothing  out  of  the  way  in  their  behavior,  and  they  all  wanted  to 
act  properly  and  honorably.  Out  of  the  21  there  was  but  one  church 
member,  although  the  young  men  expressed  themselves  in  ways  that 
indicated  that  they  were  in  sympathy  with  religion.  They  were 
merely  excluded  from  church  membership  by  fanaticism  on  the  part 
of  church  members. 

In  a  village  of  another  county  a  young  athlete  helped  the  boys  fur- 
nish a  small  gymnasium,  and  organize  themselves  into  an  enthusiastic 
club.  Instead  of  encouraging  and  giving  moral  direction  to  the 
organization,  the  church  people  stood  back  and  regarded  it  with 
suspicion. 

An  old  church  building,  needing  paint  badly  and  with  broken  win- 
dows, was  deemed  too  sacred  a  place  to  be  used  for  a  young  people's 
social,  although  the  young  people  were  very  anxious  to  have  one.  A 
split  occurred  in  another  church  because  the  young  people  held  an  ice 
cream  social. 

The  moral  value  of  recreation  is  becoming  appreciated  by  some  of 
the  churches  through  thoughtful  leadership.     It  has  been  introduced 

51 


A  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  PICNIC 

largely  through  organized  Sunday  School  classes.  One  of  the  pastors 
in  Adams  County  has  organized  a  men's  Bible  class  with  a  present 
membership  of  64.  Men  who  had  formerly  been  indifferent  to  reli- 
gion are  now  active  in  church  work.  During  the  summer  the  mem- 
bers chartered  a  boat  and  took  their  families  on  an  excursion  up  the 
river.  In  the  same  village  another  pastor  has  a  Sunday  School  class  of 
boys  whom  he  takes  on  a  weekly  excursion  during  vacation,  one  of 
these  being  a  camping  trip  for  a  whole  week.  His  wife  meets  her  Sun- 
day School  class  of  girls  for  a  social  afternoon  every  two  weeks. 

A  lady  who  was  formerly  a  school  teacher,  but  is  now  married,  was 
unwilling  to  give  up  her  work  with  young  people.  She  brought  to- 
gether a  Sunday  School  class  of  15  boys,  opening  her  house  to  them 
and  giving  them  a  large  room  for  their  own  to  which  they  had  access 
at  all  times.  The  boys  met  her  twice  a  week.  In  organizing  them 
she  had  each  one  write  what  he  thought  a  member  of  the  club  ought 
or  ought  not  to  do,  and  the  points  on  which  they  had  been  unanimous 
became  the  rules  of  the  organization.  The  enforcement  of  the  rules 
was  left  in  their  hands  and  they  developed  excellent  order  and  kept 
the  room  clean  of  their  own  accord.  She  has  now  the  third  club  of 
this  sort,  the  members  of  the  others  having  grown  to  be  useful  men  of 
good  character. 

A  young  men's  Bible  class  in  Athens  county  managed  a  lecture 
course  and  paid  the  expenses  of  the  speakers.     They  have  regular 

52 


business  meetings  every  four  weeks,  and  always  plan  for  a  program. 
At  one  of  the  meetings  a  young  ladies'  class  rendered  the  program 
after  which  the  boys  served  ice  cream  on  the  lawn.  On  Mothers'  Day 
the  class  furnished  carnations  for  every  mother  present  at  Sunday 
School,  and  delivered  a  bunch  of  carnations  to  every  mother  in  the 
village  not  able  to  attend. 

A  splendid  example  of  a  church  which  has  built  up  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  community  through  social  service  was  found  in  Adams  County. 
Among  the  features  of  the  work  of  this  church  are: 

1.  Men's  Meetings. 

2.  General  social  gatherings  for  all  women  of  the  community. 

3.  An  active  young  people's  society  with  a  splendid  social  side. 

4.  A  musical  festival  for  12  days  in  the  spring. 

5.  School  house  meetings : 

(1)  For  evangelism, 

(2)  For  social  fellowship, 

(3)  For  the  discussion  of  topics  of  special  interest  to  the 

community. 
As  a  result  of  these  activities   112  persons  have  united  with  the 
church  in  the  last  3^  years,  a  Sunday  School  has  been  organized  in 
a  needy  district,  and  prayer  meetings  have  been  carried  on  without  the 
help  of  the  pastor. 

10.     The  Minister. 

The  total  number  of  ordained  ministers  preaching  in  the  six  coun- 
ties is  a  little  less  than  222,  or  an  average  of  37'  to  each  county.  Of 
these  ministers : 

19%  serve  only  one  church  26%  serve  four  churches 

20%  serve  two  churches  13%  serve  five  churches 

15%  serve  three  churches  7%  serve  six  or  more  churches 

A  little  over  half  the  ministers  with  only  one  church  have  other 
occupations.  Most  of  these  are  farmers,  though  among  them  were 
found  teachers,  mechanics,  a  lecturer,  a  probate  judge,  an  undertaker 
and  a  mail  carrier. 

A  minister  can  have  his  home  in  only  one  community.  But  since 
81%  of  the  ministers  at  work  in  the  six  counties  preach  in  more  than 
one  place,  it  is  evident  that  the  vast  majority  of  the  ministers  live  at 
a  distance  from  most  of  their  parishes.  The  great  waste  of  time, 
energy,  and  money  involved  in  the  travelling  about  of  ministers,  many 
of  them  going  along  the  same  road  or  crossing  one  another's  path,  may 
be  realized  by  the  reader  if  he  will  glance  at  the  maps  on  the  following 
page  or  scan  the  following  table: 

53 


VINTON  CO.,  OHIO 


X  Mmi^ter's  residence      EJ  CKorcK  with  resident  mtnisler    CI  CKorth  witKout  Ttsritivt  mtnisW 
^  GiurcK  wifhoutmmiiter  >  AUndoned  chu>-c.!i  NomeriU   indicitc  mtmber^.V>ih 'f '^"'''ti 

Inc  ,  incre»si»»^  ;  Dec,  decreasing  ;     5t,  stahemrvj 


B  Baptist 

Br  Brethren    (German   Baptist) 
BSA  Brothers  Society  of  America 
C  Christian 
Ca  Catholic  (Roman) 
Co  Congregational 
CP  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
CS  Christian  Science 
CU  Christian  Union 

D  Disciples 
DM  Defenseless   Mennonite 
DNP  Disciples,   Non-Progressive 

E  Episcopal 
EvA  Evangelical   Association 
EvL  "  Lutheran 

F  Friends  (Orthodox) 
FM  Free  Methodist 
FWB  Free  Will  Baptist 

G  Church  of  God 
GME  German  M.  E. 
H  Apostolic   Holiness 


HF  Friends   (Hicksite) 

L  Lutheran 
LDS  Latter-Day  Saints 

M  Mennonite 
MB  Missionary   Baptist 
ME  Methodist  Episcopal 
MP  Methodist  Protestant 

N  Nazarenes 
OM  Old  Mennonite 

P  Presbyterian 
PB  Primitive  Baptist 

R  Reformed 
RM  Reformed  Mennonite 
RUB  Radical  U.  B. 
S  Saints 
U  Union 
UB  United  Brethren 
UP  United  Presbyterian 
Uv  Universalist 
USS  Union  Sunday  School 
WM  Wesleyan  Methodist 


55 


A  ONCE  ABANDONED  CHURCH  REVIVED 


26%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  Hving  less  than  2  miles  from 
church. 

26%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  2  to  5  miles  from  church. 

23%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  6  to  10  miles  from  church. 

7%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  11  to  15  miles  from  church. 

5%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  16  to  20  miles  from  church. 

5%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  21  to  30  miles  from  church. 

3%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  31  to  50  miles  from  church. 

5%  of  the  churches  have  ministers  living  51  or  more  miles  from 
church. 

The  Lord's  money  is  being  squandered  through  our  sectarian  selfish- 
ness which  makes  the  circuit  system  a  necessity.  Federation  of 
churches  in  all  over-churched  communities  would  eliminate  most  of 
this  waste. 

In  the  matter  of  salary,  about  one-half  of  the  ministers  receive  less 
than  $600  per  annum.    The  following  table  shows  the  average  amount 
received  by  157  ministers,  divided  into  four  groups: 
40  receive  an  average  salary  of  $276. 
39  receive  an  average  salary  of     561. 
39  receive  an  average  salary  of     712. 
39  receive  an  average  salary  of    927. 

Only  about  one-half  of  the  ministers  are  supplied  with  manses. 

The  scholastic  preparation  of  the  ministers  in  the  six  counties  is 
shown  in  the  following  table : 

34%  of  the  ministers  have  had  only  a  common  school  education. 

56 


22%  of  the  ministers  have  had  a  high  school  education. 

19%  of  the  ministers  have  had  a  college  education. 

9%  of  the  ministers  have  had  seminary  training  (v^rithout  college). 

16%  of  the  ministers  have  had  both  college  and  seminary  training. 

The  table  shows  that  one-third  of  the  ministers  have  had  nothing 
more  than  an  elementary  education,  and  that  over  one-half  (56%) 
have  not  gone  in  their  schooling  beyond  the  high  school.  That  the  man 
with  more  training  comma'ids  a  higher  salary  is  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing facts  about  the  ministers  whose  training  has  been  given  in  the 
preceding  table: 

Ministers  with  only  common  school  training  receive  $409. 

Ministers  with  high  school  training  receive  $627. 

Ministers  with  college  training  receive  $635. 

Ministers  with  seminary  training  receive  $644. 

Ministers  with  college  and  seminary  training  receive  $876. 

Individual  cases  can  be  cited  where  the  salary  paid  is  in  no  way  a 
measure  of  the  minister's  efficiency,  but  when  a  large  number  of  cases 
is  taken,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it  can  be  asserted  that  a  low  aver- 
age salary  argues  for  a  low  grade  of  ministerial  efficiency.  For  the 
six  counties  surveyed,  the  average  yearly  salary  paid  to  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  is  about  $500,  a  low  enough  figure  to  make  one  believe, 
in  view  of  the  remark  just  made,  that  Southeastern  Ohio  needs  a  corps 
of  church  leaders  of  a  broader  and  deeper  training.    As  has  been  said 


A  CHURCH  AT  THE  CROSS  ROADS 
57 


before,  an  efficient  ministry  is  surely  one  of  the  conditions  of  an 
efficient  church.  Southeastern  Ohio  waits  for  ministers  of  sufficient 
training  to  enable  them  both  to  have  a  clear  vision  of  the  problems 
facing  its  churches,  and  to  work  most  advantageously  for  their  solu- 
tion. 


58 


CHAPTER  VII. 
CONCLUSION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  religious  and  educational  workers  in  Ohio  have  in  these  South- 
eastern Counties  the  task  of  ministering  to  a  diminished  farm  popula- 
tion and  a  growing  mining  population.  We  make  no  reference  to  the 
cities  or  large  towns  not  included  in  the  Survey.  We  have  in  mind  a 
definite  program  of  service  to  the  rural  population  of  farmers  and 
miners  when  we  make  the  following  recommendations : 

First.  Evangelistic  work  must  be  varied  in  its  methods,  according 
to  whether  it  is  employed  in  a  diminishing  farm  population  or  in  a 
growing  population  of  miners.  In  the  former,  evangelism  should  be 
used  only  by  settled  pastors.  The  type  of  evangelism  that  is  not 
followed  by  any  pastoral  service  has  done  more  harm  than  good  in 
Southeastern  Ohio.  Ministers  among  a  farm  population  should  within 
their  own  parishes  hold  regular  evangelistic  services  each  year,  but  we 
believe  that  it  is  a  waste  of  religious  energy  and  a  detriment  to  both 
religious  and  educational  work  to  "burn  over  the  ground"  with 
ungoverned,  inflammatory  preaching  among  a  people  all  too  inclined  to 
emotional  expression. 

There  are  a  few  townships  referred  to  in  this  Survey  in  which 
definite  evangelistic  work,  aiming  at  the  organizing  of  Sunday  Schools 
and  the  building,  perhaps,  of  a  few  new  churches,  is  needed.  But 
generally  speaking,  among  a  diminishing  farm  population  professional 
evangelism  is  not  to  be  commended.  It  is  a  method  to  be  used  only  by 
the  settled  pastor. 

With  the  churches  located  in  a  growing  population  of  miners,  the 
case  is  different.  In  these  churches,  professional  evangelists  may  be 
wisely  employed.  For  the  need  of  evangelistic  preaching,  even  of 
professional  evangelists,  among  the  miners  is  great,  because  their 
number  is  increasing  and  they  are  a  shifting  population.  Their  social 
character  is  different  from  that  of  the  farmer  and  the  preaching  of 
a  gospel  of  personal  salvation  has  greater  value  among  them.  This 
evangeUstic  work,  however,  should  be  followed,  as  quickly  as  possible, 
by  the  patient  and  faithful  care  of  resident  ministers. 

We  recommend,  too,  that  among  the  mining  population  churches 
should  extend  their  ministry  along  the  lines  of  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  work.     There  is  need  of  reading  rooms,  of  recreative 

59 


facilities  and  of  educational  work;  and  the  working  pastor  will  find 
himself  a  social  service  secretary  quite  as  much  as  a  preacher. 

Second.  The  reconstruction  of  the  common  schools  is,  religiously 
speaking,  necessary  in  Southeastern  Ohio.  Until  better  common 
schools  are  provided  there  cannot  be  better  churches.  Trained  intelli- 
gence is  in  greater  demand  throughout  these  counties  than  aroused 
emotion.  Religious  institutions  need  a  better  school  policy  more  than 
they  need  an  increased  emphasis  upon  evangelism.  The  Protestant 
church  depends  quite  as  much  upon  the  teacher  as  upon  the  preacher. 
We  must  not  forget  this.  Because  the  majority  of  the  people  living 
in  these  counties  are  Protestant,  and  because  their  denominations  do 
not  provide  parochial  schools,  their  gospel  becomes  vitally  dependent 
upon  the  teaching  in  the  public  schools.  The  public  school  is  the  right 
hand  of  the  free  Protestant  church.  Therefore,  church  leaders  in 
Southeastern  Ohio  should  use  every  influence  to  bring  about  a  better 
school  policy  by  the  State.  Ministers  should  study  the  books  on  the 
country  school  problem  and  church  officers  should  be  alert,  especially 
at  the  present  time  when  the  State  of  Ohio,  under  a  far-seeing  admin- 
istration, is  moving  to  the  betterment  of  the  standards  of  public  school 
teaching.  A  better  public  school  will  not  give  us  a  better  church,  but 
so  long  as  we  have  an  inferior  public  school  an  improved  country 
church  is  impossible.  The  schools  cannot  build  us  up,  but  they  can 
keep  us  back.  The  inferior  country  school  is  a  great  religious  obstacle 
in  Southeastern  Ohio. 

Third.  A  method  must  be  studied  out  and  used  diligently  by  con- 
ferences, synods  and  presbyteries,  which  will  absorb  the  emotion  of 
the  population,  restrain  the  religious  scourge  of  pietism,  which  thrives 
upon  ignorance  and  monotony.  We  commend  for  this  purpose  a  union 
between  Sunday  School  work  and  recreation.  We  suggest  that  this 
union  take  the  form  of  organized  Sunday  School  classes  that  meet  for 
social  purposes  during  the  week.  The  study  of  the  Bible  on  the  Lord's 
Day  and  the  social  organization  meeting  throughout  the  week  is  the 
best  method  of  working  ofif  emotional  tension,  of  making  people 
acquainted,  of  putting  an  end  to  neighborhood  bitterness  and  of  creat- 
ing a  sense  of  community  oneness.  The  churches  in  Southeastern 
Ohio  have  been  split  to  pieces  and  neighborhoods  have  been  embittered 
l)y  pietism.  "Holiness"  has  made  life  almost  intolerable  in  many 
communities.  Its  dominance  is  due  to  the  neglect  of  social  life  by  the 
churches  and  to  the  lack  of  intelligent  use  of  the  lUble  and  the  Chris- 
tian tradition.  These  sectarian  movements  which  wield  the  lash  of 
frantic  excitement  cannot  get  a  hearing  in   communities,   as  a   rule, 

60 


where  legitimate  social  life  and  organized  play  are  provided  for  all. 
They  are  the  reaction  against  dead  monotony,  divided  "cliques"  and 
sour,  embittered  neighborhood  feeling.  They  are  an  expression  of 
the  same  spirit  which  creates  feuds.  They  will  be  healed  with  the 
same  medium. 

Rev.  Harvey  S.  Murdock,  who  in  1913  received  over  one  hundred 
persons  on  confession  of  faith  in  a  mountain  church  in  Kentucky, 
declared,  "that  his  two  arms  of  evangelism  were  base-ball  and  the 
fighting  of  illicit  whiskey."  Of  course  he  preached  the  gospel  and  led 
his  people  in  Bible  study,  but  he  used  recreation  and  civic  leadership 
as  a  means  of  winning  the  population,  and  of  extending  the  influence 
of  his  Bible  teaching. 

Fourth.  It  is  very  important  to  introduce  into  Southeastern  Ohio 
the  rural  method  of  co-operation  in  order  to  provide  the  farmers  with 
a  form  of  organization  in  which  they  can  combine.  One  great  danger 
in  this  section  is  seen  in  the  invasion  of  the  open  country  by  capitalistic 
ownership.  Land  is  passing  into  the  hands  of  those  who  do  not  till 
the  soil,  but  hold  it  for  an  increased  price.  The  farmers  must  defend 
themselves  and  in  the  interest  of  the  churches  they  must  defend  their 
way  of  life  by  a  method  of  combination.  In  all  parts  of  the  country 
and  of  the  world  farmers  have  tried  to  combine  without  success  on 
the  method  pursued  by  townsmen.  The  only  method  generally  suitable 
to  farmers'  needs  goes  under  the  name  of  co-operation.  Every  minister 
and  church  leader  should  study  this  method.  And  the  books  of  Sir 
Horace  Plunkett  and  the  recently  issued  Senate  Document  No.  214 
should  be  possessed  by  every  rural  minister  and  school  teacher  and 
diligently  studied. 

Co-operation  will  enable  the  farmer  to  hold  the  land.  It  will  give 
him  something  to  say  in  the  market  as  to  the  price  of  what  he  buys 
or  what  he  sells.  It  will  enable  him  to  manufacture  his  own  products 
and  get  the  profit  of  such  manufacture.  It  will  enable  him  to  keep 
his  young  people  in  the  country  community  and  to  employ  them  in 
factories  owned  by  farmers.  It  will  enable  the  farmer  to  organize 
banks  for  the  use  of  country  money  in  farm  loans  at  a  low  rate  of 
interest.  This  method  of  combination  is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the 
country  population  and  the  welfare  of  the  church  is  bound  up  in  the 
permanence  and  self  respect  of  the  country  population. 

We  entertain  hopes  also  that  the  practice  of  co-operation  in  daily 
life  will  make  possible  a  higher  co-operation  in  religious  life.  When 
men  become  accustomed  to  getting  their  daily  bread  together  they  may 
be  more  willing  to  seek  heavenly  bread  in  common. 

61 


Fifth.  Education  of  the  ministers  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  new 
rural  idealism,  based  on  a  new  intelligence  as  to  country  life,  should 
be  provided  in  this  region.  The  minister,  as  an  educated  man,  requires 
graduate  study  to  keep  him  abreast  of  his  work.  Whether  he  is  a 
graduate  of  college  and  seminary  or  not,  by  the  nature  of  his  work 
he  needs  the  training  of  the  teacher  and  the  discipline  of  the  schools. 

Country  life  conferences  and  institutes  are  excellent.  Their  value 
is,  however,  for  the  layman.  They  belong  with  the  farmer's  institute, 
in  which  ministers  should  take  part  as  learners  and  helpers ;  but  for 
the  minister  schools  of  Christian  learning  not  less  than  two  weeks  in 
length  should  be  held  twice  a  year;  one  in  winter  and  one  in  summer, 
for  graduate  discipline  of  the  working  pastor. 

If  theological  seminaries  or  religious  colleges  will  do  this  work,  it 
woud  be  profitable  for  the  ministers  and  for  those  schools  that  they 
provide  graduate  study.  Rut  if  they  will  not,  we  urge  upon  the  state 
universities  that  this  is  a  duty  not  unworthy  of  their  consideration. 
The  training  needed  is  not  theological  nor  necessarily  Biblical.  These 
factors  in  graduate  education  can  be  supplied  by  the  denominations. 
It  should  be  training  in  pedagogy  and  in  social  service.  The  pedagogy 
is  to  train  the  minister  as  a  teacher ;  the  sociology  is  to  train  him  as  a 
pastor.    Both  these  topics  are  nowadays  taught  by  state  educators. 

The  Extension  System  of  the  various  State  Universities  of  Ohio 
could  serve  the  state,  we  believe,  in  no  better  way  than  by  holding  for 
these  thirteen  counties  at  suitable  centres  three  or  four  schools,  each 
school  being  two  or  three  weeks  long  and  the  pupils  being  ministers 
of  religion. 

Sixth.  This  Survey  concerns  churches  and  it  approaches  the  study 
of  the  church  by  analysis  of  social  conditions.  We  are  making  no 
report  upon  personal  or  individual  character.  Rural  Ohio  is  proverb- 
ially rich  in  individuals  of  the  highest  character.  But  churches,  as 
well  as  souls,  are  vehicles  of  the  divine  Spirit.  Indeed  churches,  that  is, 
corporate  religion,  in  scripture  and  in  history  are  presented  as  "the 
body  of  Christ."  It  is  obvious  from  this  study  that  a  strong  church 
is  a  necessar}'  means  of  evangelism.  Through  such  a  church  more 
persons  are  brought  to  confession  and  the  character  of  Christians  is 
conserved.  The  Survey  shows  that  unless  more  attention  is  paid  to 
saving  churches  there  will  be  less  of  religion  for  souls.  As  churches 
fail,  fewer  persons  give  evidence  to  a  hope  of  heaven. 

This  situation  indicates  that  each  church  should  be  as  large  as  the 
community,  and  all  matters  that  concern  the  whole  community  should 
have  a  place  in  the  church.     Since  the  church  lives  or  dies  with  the 

62 


life  of  the  community,  no  matter  what  its  denomination,  it  is  obvious 
that  ministry  to  the  whole  community  is  a  means  of  ministering  to 
each  or  any  soul.  So  that  both  the  social  and  the  economic  and  educa- 
tional life  of  the  community  are  of  prime  concern  to  the  church. 

Seventh.  Federation,  or  comity  of  churches,  should  be  actively 
pursued  in  this  region.  The  following  method  of  organizing  federa- 
tion among  the  churches  is  suggested :  Let  a  deputation,  made  up  of 
one  or  two  representatives  of  each  of  the  leading  denominations  in 
these  counties ;  that  is,  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Disciples, 
Congregational,  United  Brethren,  travel  through  these  thirteen  coun- 
ties once  in  each  two  years,  holding  conferences,  addressing  churches, 
urging  co-operation,  organizing  local  federations,  advising  as  to  local 
instances  of  church  competition.  The  influence  of  such  a  delegation 
would  be  far-reaching.  The  mere  spectacle  of  a  Methodist  Presiding 
Elder,  a  Presbyterian  Pastor  Evangelist,  a  Baptist  or  Disciple  Con- 
ference Chairman,  and  a  Bishop  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
teaching  the  same  thing  and  advising  recognition  of  common  religious 
duties,  would  effect  a  salutary  change  in  the  feelings  of  church  mem- 
bers. It  would  also  enlist  the  men,  especially  the  business  men  and 
men  of  weight,  as  nothing  else  can  enlist  them,  in  effective  leadership 
and  support  of  the  churches.  Furthermore,  the  gospel  which  such  a 
delegation  could  teach  in  common  is  basic  and  fundamental  in  all  these 
churches.  Upon  this  gospel  alone  can  community  churches  be  con- 
structed. 

Eighth.  There  is  need  of  money  for  church  buildings  of  a  new  type 
and  probably  some  of  this  money  should  come  from  outside  the  region. 
The  community  church,  which  is  the  embodiment  of  church  federation, 
comity  and  Christian  unity,  without  which  these  ideals  cannot  live, 
requires  a  building  appropriate  to  its  needs.  Old  church-houses  should 
be  reconstructed  and  enlarged  and  new  ones  erected  in  the  place  of 
some  which  have  a  congregation  and  a  future,  but  are  unsuited  to  the 
work  required.  If  some  one  denomination  should  institute  a  campaign 
of  church  reconstruction  throughout  this  region,  it  would  have  a  great 
influence  upon  all  the  churches  of  the  county.  It  would  bring  its 
rewards,  moreover,  to  the  denomination  which  takes  the  lead. 

Ninth.  At  bottom,  the  decline  in  the  rural  church  organizations 
of  Southeastern  Ohio,  which  is  the  outstanding  fact  revealed  by  the 
Survey,  is  due  to  the  mistakes  of  the  unenlightened  mind  and  to  the 
sins  of  the  unregenerated  human  heart.  The  poverty  of  the  people, 
resting  as  it  does  upon  the  evils  of  soil  depletion  and  land  monopoly, 
has  its  ultimate  basis  in  the  ignorance  of  the  many  and  in  the  selfish- 

63 


1  1012  01235  2920 

ness  of  the  few.  The  over-multiplication  of  churches  and  a  non- 
resident ministry,  both  of  which  spring  from  sectarianism,  are  the  out- 
growth of  an  exclusively  individualistic  view  of  religion,  which,  in  the 
final  analysis,  rests  upon  human  selfishness. 

The  only  remedy  for  the  trouble  lies  in  the  regeneration  of  the 
human  heart  and  the  enlightenment  of  the  human  mind.  Only  thus 
can  the  rural  churches  of  Southeastern  Ohio  be  saved  from  extinction. 
And  this  regeneration  can  only  come  through  the  preaching  and  the 
practicing  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  A  living  faith  in  this 
Evangel  is  the  only  power  that  will  give  vitality  to  the  suggestions 
ofifered  in  this  chapter  of  recommendations. 

As  proclaimed  by  Jesus,  this  Evangel  emphasizes  the  regnancy  of 
a  God  of  love  and  sacrifice  in  the  whole  of  human  life.  Ministers  and 
church  leaders,  who  fully  accept  this  Gospel,  will  see  the  spiritual 
significance  of  directing  the  young  people  in  their  social  activities  or 
taking  means  to  promote  the  material  prosperity  of  all  the  families  in 
the  community.  Such  church  leaders  will  seek,  not  to  perpetuate  their 
organizations  as  such,  but  to  give  them  in  service  for  the  up-building 
of  their  respective  communities.  They  will  aim  to  make  their  churches 
the  centers  for  all  the  healthy  interests  of  their  neighborhoods.  To 
carry  out  this  ideal  in  Southeastern  Ohio,  some  of  the  individual 
churches  may  have  to  die,  others  will  have  to  federate.  But  in  either 
case,  they  will  be  doing  less  than  their  Master  did.  He  gave  his  life 
for  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  churches  that 
profess  His  name  should  be  willing  to  do  the  same. 


64 


Wimmrn'mmMm^S 


aiDtJifiorp  Council 


W.  O.  Thompson,  Chairman, 

rreaident,  Ohio  State  University 
Pitisldent,  Ohio  Church  Federaticm 
Columbus,  Ohio 

J.  O.  Ashenhurst,  Secretaiy, 
Committee  on  Rural  Churches.  United 
Presbyterian  Chxutih 

George  F.  Bareis. 
Chairman,  Board  of  Trustees 
Heidelberg  College 

Edward  Byers,  A.M.,  ScD. 
School  of  Education,  Defiance  College 

I.  T.  CahUl 

Sec  y,  Ohio  Christian  Missionary  Society 

H.  J.  Christman,  President, 
Central  Theological  Semhiary 

W.  G.  Clippinger,  President, 
Otterbein  University 

Charles  William  Dabney,  President, 
University  of  Cincinnati 

G.  Walter  Fiske.  Junior  Dean, 

Oberiin  Theological  Seminary 

L.  H.  Goddard,  Chief, 

Dept.  Cooperation,  Ohio  Experimvnt 
Station 

A.  B.  Graham,  Superintendent  of 
Agricultural  Extenaon,  Ohio  State  Univ. 

George  J.  Henderson, 

>Supt.  Central  District,  American  S.  S.  Union 

"'^"'ter  H.  Houston, 

F'resbyterian  Home  Missions 
i  of  Ohio 

C.  W.  Kurtz, 

Presiding  Elder.  United  Brethren  Church 

Frederick  C.  Landsittel, 

State  Normal  College.  Ohio  Universi;,, 

Charles  Marston, 

Pastor.  Presbyterian  Chiu-ch,  MlUersbiu-g. 
<nilo 

E.  A.  MiUer, 

Oberlln  College 

J.  Knox  Montgomery,  Presidlent, 
Muskingum  College 

S.  K.  Mosiman,  President, 
Central  Memionite  College 

T.  O.  Notestein, 
University  of  Wooster 

W.  W.  MUls, 

Hoard  of  Trudtecs,  Marietta,  College 


H.  C,  Price,  Dean, 

College  of  Agriculture,  Oyo  State  Univ 

O.  W.  Powers, 

Home  Mission  Sec'y.  Christian  Church 
President,  Ohio  Stat«  Christian  Assoni;>i     i 

C.  J.  Rose,  Secretary, 

Oluo  Baptist  ConventiOD 

E.  S.  Rothrock, 

State  Superintendent,  Congregational 
Conference  of  Ohio 

B.  R.  RyaU, 

Sefrctary.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Ohio, 
County  Work  Dept. 

A.  C.  Shtunan 

Pastor,  Reformed  Church,  TlflBi^,  Ohio 

J.  K.  Shellenberger, 

Sec'y   of  the   Brotherhood,   Dfeciples   "f 

CMst       ' 

Worthington  B.  Slutz, 

District  Supt.,  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church 

T.  Warren  Smith, 

Director,  U.  S,  Weather  Bureau 

George  F.  Smythe, 

Kenyon  College 

George  Stibitz, 
Central  Seminary 

N.  W.  Stroup, 

District  Supt.,  Methodist  Episcopal 

Chiuxih 

Omer  S.  Thomas. 

Secretary  of  Miami  Christian  Conferen   - 

Samuel  Tyler. 

Chairman.  Social  Service  CoQimlssion 
Diocese  of  Southern  Olilo 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church 

Selby  H.  Vance, 

Lane  Seminary 

Paul  L.  Vogt, 

Professor  of  Sociology,  Ml^rri!  iTnivcryiy 

Ralph  J.  White, 

Missionary  Superihtondent  vt   ii;M    C'Wr 
Syuod  Evangelical  Lutheran  Churrn  '   .'     ; 

G.  P.  Williams,  ■•'',  ^ ''.' 

Superintendent  of  Misalons  ,;  ', 

American  Simday  School  Union  '     ''    v  , 

Warren  H.  Wilson,  '  '■■  ,i;   ;;  'J'%., 

Supt.,  Presbyterian  Department  of  CiUjirfv^i  ;'■_  \ .'''ifi-i 


^>C 


